By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With backs against the wall, Filou Oostende blew out Unicaja Wednesday. Another do-or-die Basketball Champions League Round of 16 game is coming up next Tuesday with U-BT Cluj Napoca visiting Versluys Dome.
It would not matter at all. However, Levi Randolph paving the way against the ACB outfit pouring 35 points in the Round of 16 Gameday 5 contest kept his side in the hunt for a spot in the Quarterfinals. He connected 12/17 field goals, including 5/7 three-pointers for his highest-scoring tally in Europe. His 34 points in a recent betFirst BNXT League showing shaped the previous mark. A 47-point effort as a member of the Canton Charge in the G League is his personal best.
“Yes, this was one of my biggest games so far in the Champions League but it made it even better for me because we were able to put ourselves into a position to advance,” he explained to Eurohoops commenting on his performance, “That was the most important thing for me.”
Randolph, 29, was coming off an NBL stint with the New Zealand Breakers after becoming a preseason cut of the Cleveland Cavaliers and playing instead at the G League affiliate for three years in a row. Oostende came along during the offseason.
“It feels good to be back in Europe, transitioning from the States and Australia,” he told Josh Bett during the second episode of the BCL Trash Talk podcast. Then, he was in the process of getting into his comfort zone in Oostende. Averaging 17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.7 steals per Champions League contest paint the picture of his latest campaign in FIBA’s premier European club continental competition resurfacing his leading qualities.
The Alabama product’s relationship with BCL stretches back to the inaugural season. In 2016-17, he joined Avellino. In 2017-18, he went from Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari to SIG Strasbourg. Carrying the experience of 32 games played between the three clubs, he returned four years later. A strengthened playing field in the reunion with the Basketball Champions League. Both himself and the BCL have been growing.
On the heels of the triumph opposite the team based in Malaga, the fifth win in as many home games versus Spanish teams in the BCL, the Belgium champions colliding with the Romania champions demonstrates once more the competition’s depth stretching to multiple leagues across Europe and providing the opportunity to shine at a high level. In this case, only one of the two teams will go through as Oostende will rank second behind Unicaja banking in a win by a margin of six points or more and will end up first if the potential win exceeds a margin of 17 points. The visitors, tournament newcomers, will settle in second place with a win of their own or a loss by a margin of five points or less.
“I’m always confident with the group of guys that we have. I love this team and our staff,” Randolph told Eurohoops shifting his focus to the deciding matchup, “Our coaches will put us in a position to be able to execute for the game. I’m looking forward to the game.”
An entirely new game indeed and a very big challenge for both Oostende and Randolph. Among the lasting BCL originals appearing in every single season, the Belgian club made it past the Regular Season for the second time and looks to reach the Quarterfinals for the first time.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League