By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Basketball Champions League laying out a six-game round-robin schedule to replace the traditional form of the Playoffs with a Round of 16 group stage generated exciting action all across Europe. Eight teams survived punching in a Final 8 ticket and one player of each advancing side, as picked out by Eurohoops, made their presence felt most.
Group I surfaced Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon and Pinar Karsiyaka. Spanish clubs, Lenovo Tenerife and Hereda San Pablo Burgos progressed through Group J. Nizhny Novgorod and SIG Strasbourg clinched the Group K berths. ERA Nymburk and Casademont Zaragoza got the job done in Group L.
Here are the players, in alphabetical order, with the largest input in those successful Final 8 bids.
Bonzie Colson (SIG Strasbourg)
17.8 PPG, 6 RPG, 2APG, 1.4 SPG, 1 BPG
The former Notre Dame standout was the leading scorer among forwards in the Round of 16. Bonzie Colson’s five appearances included a 23-point showing when it mattered most, against Turk Telekom in the Group K decider.
The 25-year-old American, born in Washington D.C., was on a roll from the Regular Season with key buckets and more leading performances to his name. A valuable asset in a generally balanced squad ready to make some noise in the season-ending tournament.
C.J. Harris (Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon)
17.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 2.2 RPG, 0.7 SPG
Very few expected Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon to be among the eight finalists of the 2020-21 season. Many players provided strong contributions but C.J. Harris, eight years out of Wake Forest and since constantly widening his European experience, made our list of top players from each Final 8 team.
His 105 points in the Round of 16 ranked third in the overall list. An impressive tally highlighted by the game-high 24 points versus Happy Casa Brindisi that kept his side alive until the game-winning, Final 8-clinching overtime layup hit by Maxime De Zeeuw.
Raymar Morgan (Pinar Karsiyaka)
17 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
The Turkish outlet featured a clear leader in both the Regular Season and Round of 16. Raymar Morgan averaged an efficiency rating of 20.6 making that exact case. He did not lead only Pinar Karsiyaka, but the entire BCL in both efficiency rating and points scored.
Rather than slowing down in the Playoffs, the former Michigan State standout with a European career stretching into its second decade, dropped 102 more points, enough for fourth place in the scoring list. More points coming up in the Final 8.
Omar Prewitt (ERA Nymburk)
17.7 PPG, 4.7 PPG, 3.8 APG, 0.8 SPG
Oren Amiel enjoys yet another balanced squad moving into the concluding stage of the Champions League campaign. However, Omar Prewitt, the second-leading scorer of the Round of 16, can count himself among the most valuable players of the Czech club.
The 28-year-old swingman was part of the previous Final 8 and hopes to help his side go much further than the quarterfinals this time around. His 17.7 points per contest and 106 overall in the Playoffs enter him on our list as the Nymburk pick.
Alex Renfroe (Hereda San Pablo Burgos)
10.2 PPG, 6.3 APG, 2.5 RPG, 0.7 SPG
Enough with the scoring contributions. Here comes the assist-leader of the Round of 16 in Alex Renfroe. An experienced guard and a key part of Hereda San Pablo Burgos’ bid to capture the title for the second season in a row. Head coach Joan Penarroya and the majority of his squad carry the unique experience of winning a Basketball Champions League Final 8.
Renfroe is one of those players. He got things going dishing out 38 assists, most than any other player in the Playoffs. He had 13 alone in the loss to Igokea.
Kasey Shepherd (Nizhny Novgorod)
20.5 PPG, 5 RPG, 5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
He accounted for 123 points, 20.5 per appearance in the Playoffs, most than any other player of the Round of 16. A crazy 65.5% from beyond the arc with 19/29 covered 46% of his round-high scoring effort.
After ranking first in Group K above Strasbourg, AEK, and Turk Telekom, Nizhny Novgorod became the Final 8 host. The CEC Nagorny advantage paired with Kasey Shepherd can prove an explosive combination.
Giorgi Shermadini (Lenovo Tenerife)
17.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG
The title of leading scorer among centers would struggle to move away from Giorgi Shermadini. An extremely important part of Lenovo Tenerife since his arrival back in 2019. The Georgian big has won his fair share of titles and is hoping to add the BCL trophy to his list.
He ranked third overall averaging an efficiency rating of 21.2 in his five Playoffs appearances leading his side to a 5-1 record, more than good enough for first place in Group J.