By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Drawn in arguably the toughest group of the Basketball Champions League Regular Season, many rushed to overlook Telekom Baskets Bonn. Competing against teams the likes of Pinar Karsiyaka, UnaHotels Reggio Emilia, and AEK is not a simple task. Beating the Turkish outfit brightened things up Wednesday night.
The term is not accepted by head coach Tuomas Iisalo but it seemed like a one-man show to the naked eye. The player in charge was T.J. Shorts adding to his hot start in the BCL.
“Obviously, it helps to have a guy like T.J.,” said the Finnish tactician in the postgame press conference following the Regular Season Gameday 2 contest, “Let’s say, the mind is at ease as a coach when he has the ball. You know he’s not going to turn it over. You know he is going to end up creating a great shot or a good shot for himself or one of his teammates. This is a great feeling to have as a coach.”
Shorts, 24, dominated with 28 points powered by 9/14 field goals, eight assists, seven rebounds, and one steal in 34 minutes. And he committed only one turnover. Debuting in the Champions League last week, he registered 26 points, eight assists, and three rebounds in the loss to Reggio Emilia.
“The rest of the players on the floor are constantly working, generating space for him,” added Iisalo, “It is definitely not like a one-man show. But he’s the guy who holds the keys on offense. I like how our chemistry is at the moment. Everybody is playing for the team and understands his role.”
“I decided to guard him, and we decided to be a little bit more aggressive with the hedging, and I think it took away some of his aggressiveness. Just be aggressive with him, make somebody else make the play because we know they lack creators,” Karsiyaka star Errick McCollum shared the unsuccessful plan to contain Shorts during the halftime break.
From strength to strength
The former UC Davis standout, a former teammate of last season’s MVP and Sacramento Kings newcomer Chima Moneke, was quick to enter the Champions League record books, becoming the first player to combine more than 25 points and five assists in consecutive games. The introduction to FIBA’s continental competition can’t get much better.
After completing his NCAA career in 2019, Shorts pursued overseas opportunities to start and build up his professional career. The first stop was in Latvia and Ventspils. From there, he focused his efforts in Germany going from the Hamburg Towers to Hakro Merlins Crailsheim, before landing in Bonn. Highlighting his resume was being the top scorer of the 2021-22 edition of Germany’s easyCredit BBL. Additionally, he carried the experience of 26 games played in the FIBA Europe Cup split between Ventspils and Crailsheim.
It is a whole new ballgame in the Champions League, competing against stronger teams and well-known, established, and more experienced players. However, Shorts fit right in and comfortably. More than ready to help his side achieve its goals and in the process enrich the list of individual accolades as well.
Bonn is back
The German team played three seasons in the Champions League before bowing out in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. It did not make it out of the Regular Season in 2017-18 and 2018-19. In 2019-20, it reached the Round of 16 but was swept by AEK in a best-of-three series, right before the decision to suspend the season. Not a short trip getting back in the mix but the drive for an extended run is there. Interestingly, AEK comes up next in the double-legged round-robin schedule of Group B.
All four teams of the group are currently tied at 1-1. The German team will visit all three opponents and host AEK until late December hoping to claim enough wins for a spot in the Play-Ins or even a direct berth in the Round of 16.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League