By Stefan Djordjevic/ sdjordjevic@eurohoops.net
Tim Abromaitis is no stranger to the Basketball Champions League as he played for Tenerife in the first three campaigns of the competition (2016-19), winning it in the inaugural season.
No need to say that Abromaitis was an important piece in that effort and now, after two years away from BCL, he has returned to the competition in Unicaja Malaga’s jersey.
A new jersey hasn’t changed his impact on the court and the 32-year-old has helped Unicaja start off with three wins before falling for the first time to JDA Dijon in the latest matchup. They are, however, still at the top of Group C with a 3-1 record.
Speaking of records, one area Abromaitis excels in has always been the control of the paint and rebounding. He’s been averaging 5.3 rebounds so far this season which propelled him to the fourth spot on the BCL’s all-time list.
He has accumulated a total of 302 rebounds throughout his BCL career (three years with Tenerife and the ongoing one with Unicaja) and he passed Jerai Grant who is now fifth with 296.
The next above him on the list is Nymburk’s Vojtech Hruban who’s grabbed a total of 306 rebounds over almost 20 games more (77). Petr Benda is convincing at the top with 341 rebounds followed by TaShawn Thoams with 318.
If he keeps the current pace and Unicaja continues to play well, Abromaitis will highly likely pass both Hruban and Thomas, and secure the second spot by the end of the season. Who knows the heights he will reach if he gets a few more years in BCL.
Very impressive and even more impressive when taken into consideration that he is among the shortest player on the list and is the only player that, while officially logged as a power forward, is closer to a small forward with his ability to shoot and stretch the floor.
In addition to his rebounding, Abromaitis has been averaging 10.3 points and 1.8 assists. He shot over 58% (7-12) from the three-point territory over the four games so far.
Take a look at the complete top 10 list:
| Player | Rebounds | Games | Ratio | Years | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petr Benda | 341 | 78 | 4.37 | 2016-21 | Nymburk |
| 2 | TaShawn Thomas | 318 | 52 | 6.11 | 2017–21 | Hapoel Holon, Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 3 | Vojtech Hruban | 306 | 77 | 3.97 | 2016–21 | Nymburk |
| 4 | Tim Abromaitis | 302 | 58 | 5.2 | 2016–19, 2021 | Tenerife, Unicaja |
| 5 | Jerai Grant | 296 | 48 | 6.16 | 2016–20 | Neptunas, SIG Strasbourg, AEK |
| 6 | Gasper Vidmar | 285 | 54 | 5.27 | 2016–21 | Nymburk |
| 7 | Vladimir Dragicevic | 266 | 38 | 7 | 2016–19 | Basket Zielona Gora, Nizhny Novgorod |
| 8 | Yanick Moreira | 259 | 41 | 6.31 | 2018–21 | PAOK, Virtus Bologna, Peristeri, AEK |
| 9 | Miro Bilan | 259 | 48 | 5.39 | 2017–18, 2019-22 | SIG Strasbourg, Dinamo Sassari, Prometey |
| 10 | Damian Kulig | 243 | 45 | 5.40 | 2016–18, 2019-20 | Bandirma, Twarde Pierniki Torun |