By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Plenty of candidates dropping out of the race alongside respective teams, Jerrick Harding and T. J. Shorts II stuck around keeping their sights on emerging as the top scorer in the 2022-23 edition of the Basketball Champions League.
Eight teams are left contending for the championship. Fewer players, realistically only Shorts and Harding are gunning to become the player with the most points per game and possibly overthrow Marcus Foster. The Round of 16 signaled the exit of the leading scorer, while Rob Gray and Errick McCollum bowed out in the Play-Ins.
Basketball Champions League Top scorers
List of players with the most points per game
| Player | Team | Points per game |
| Marcus Foster | Rytas | 20.6 |
| Rob Gray | Tofas | 20.0 |
| Jerrick Harding | BAXI Manresa | 18.8 |
| Errick McCollum | Pinar Karsiyaka | 18.8 |
| T.J. Shorts II | Telekom Baskets Bonn | 18.6 |
Averaging 17.3 points per contest, SIG Strasbourg’s Marcus Keene is the next player on the scoring list among the eight teams making it to the Quarterfinals. With a healthy advantage in hand, the aforementioned heavy hitters seem to head for a battle, provided they extend their respective brilliant campaigns into the next round. The bid for supremacy will get even stronger with the run potentially extended to the Final Four.
The UC Davis connection
The guaranteed opportunity for the Telekom Baskets Bonn leader to improve the sum of points per game will be in the Quarterfinals against Strasbourg. Luca Banchi will surely have a plan but so did the rest of the head coaches facing the German club. At the end of the day, finding a solution directly through the explosive point guard or from elsewhere in the squad was the theme.
Shorts, 25, is far from a stranger in piling up points and dominating competitions. Such an example from last season, he emerged as the top scorer in Germany’s easyCredit BBL playing for Hakro Merlins Crailsheim. Switching to Bonn was connected to an upgrade from FIBA Europe Cup to the BCL and the larger audience to display his talents. Certainly, it has been an exciting ride.
Coming out of UC Davis in 2019, Shorts is a former teammate and close friend of Chima Moneke, the previous season’s MVP of the Champions League. Being all over the place and leading his side to 11 straight BCL wins, he has built a pretty solid case for the next MVP award. Overcoming competition in the scoring race would be an added bonus.
And it’s not all about the Basketball Champions League. Tallying 17.9 points per game at the domestic level, he’s in the hunt for back-to-back scoring titles. Carrying a 21-2 record, the team coached by Tuomas Iisalo currently shares first place in the standings with ALBA Berlin.
The Harding extension
Coming off three productive Champions League campaigns with ERA Nymburk, Harding kept the momentum going at BAXI Manresa.
Trailing Bonn on the Round of 16 Group J final standings, the team based in Catalonia did not secure the homecourt advantage. Naturally in a much more demanding challenge, dealing with ACB rival and defending BCL champion Lenovo Tenerife can complicate the task at hand for the former Weber State standout.
Harding, 24, exploded for 41 points against Real Betis in Spain’s Liga Endesa Regular Season Round 23 last week. Packing 16.7 points per contest, he sits on top of the ACB scoring list.
In a quick turnaround from his season-high in points, he added 23 points in helping the team coached by Pedro Martinez seal the berth to the Quarterfinals in Vilnius, in the process eliminating Rytas and Foster.
Marcus Foster enjoys a comfortable lead
Firing on all cylinders for Rytas throughout the season and logging additional appearances via the Play-In stage, Foster pouring a total of 309 points seems unbeatable on the respective table. Harding and Shorts again emerge as adventurers in an uphill battle.
List of players with the most total points
| Player | Team | Total points | Games played |
| Marcus Foster | Rytas | 309 | 15 |
| Markis McDuffie | JDA Dijon | 231 | 15 |
| Jerrick Harding | BAXI Manresa | 225 | 12 |
| T.J. Shorts II | Telekom Baskets Bonn | 223 | 12 |
| Jerry Boutsiele | Bahcesehir Koleji | 219 | 14 |
The Quarterfinals will be contested in a best-of-three series across the four pairings. The eight remaining contenders will dive into Game 1 on 4 or 5 April, Game 2 on 11 or 12 April, and Game 3, if necessary, on 18 or 19 April. Closing the season, the Final Four will stretch from 12 to 14 May.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League