By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
A strong Basketball Champions League debut season placed Deshawn Stephens in the record books despite the Bakken Bears remaining off the win column after three Regular Season matches. The former San Diego State big registered 22 points, ten rebounds, and three blocks in the recent home loss to Dinamo Sassari to become the first-ever BCL player with 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 3+ blocks while coming off the bench.
“Regardless of who starts and who comes off the bench, I think we have a solid roster,” he argued commenting on his reserve status in the post-game press conference last Wednesday, “Everybody is ready to play when their name is called. I think we did a good job of doing that, but it would feel a lot better with the win.”
The Danish club is 0-3 after facing its three Group A foes, Sassari, Iberostar Tenerife, and Galatasaray. A tough challenge lies ahead with the return tilts remaining in the adjusted six-game group stage round-robin format.
“We don’t have an easy group, but it is just experience and learning,” admitted Stephens, “We are learning as we go. I think we are a good team. We can compete with any team in these groups. It is just focusing on ourselves and figuring out exactly what we want to bring to the game.”
The Bears part of the inaugural Champions League Regular Season were held to a 1-13 tally again in Group A back in the 2016-17 season, their lone “W” coming at home versus the Fraport Skyliners. A string of unsuccessful qualifying round attempts later, they returned to the group stage advancing past Hapoel Tel Aviv and Belfius Mons-Hainaut in the qualifying tournament held in Cyprus in late September.
Stephens, 31, averaged 4.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per qualifying contest, but gaining an upgraded role since propelled him to 14.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per Regular Season affair so far. His showing versus Sassari earned him multiple season-highs.
“It was definitely a tough game against a tough team,” he said summing up the contest, “I think we played pretty well. We won on the rebounds. We took more shots. We played a good game. They just killed us on the three-point line.”
The Danish champions would have preferred a kinder draw in their Basketball Champions League Regular Season comeback, but Stephens and teammates are gunning for one upset or more moving forward into the 2020-21 picture of FIBA’s premier continental club competition.
“It is just playing a full 40-minute game. So far we have played great or 25 or 30 minutes. It’s getting a solid 40-minute game offensively and defensively for us to get over that hump,” he pointed out, “We have to be engaged in the games and getting those full 40 minutes. If we can get a full 40 minutes, it can be really good for us.”
A peculiar season for all players due to the restrictions generated by the coronavirus pandemic holds no exceptions for the Los-Angeles born forward/center.
“Taking so much time off without doing anything, having any chance to really work out is definitely tough,” he mentioned, “But for us professional basketball players, we just have to figure it out and keep working trying to get back to ourselves. We try to do that every day. We have to keep working for it.”
Preceding stints in France, Turkey, Italy, and Israel qualify him as a well-experienced player in Europe. Obvious variances attached to his ongoing run in Denmark do not include getting ready for action though.
“The biggest difficulty is getting our bodies physically ready for the next game,” he added, “When it comes to the actual game of basketball, it’s just sticking to our principles and playing our system. I don’t think there is any difference in preparation.”
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League