By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In the lead from start to finish and enforcing a commanding role for most of the 40 minutes. PAOK mateco exceeded expectations in Gameday 1 of the Basketball Champions League Regular Season with a win on the road over Galatasaray Ekmas. Icelandic import Elvar Mar Fridriksson was the driving force.
Fridriksson, 28, became the third player to register a triple-double in the Champions League by dishing out his tenth assist with ten seconds left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s contest. He was the first to achieve the feat away from home. The previous triple-doubles date back to 2017 with Chris Kramer in the 2016-17 season and Arnas Butkevicius in the 2017-18 season.
“Certainly, one of the best games in my career. I have never posted a triple-double before,” said Fridriksson after returning from Istanbul to Thessaloniki on Thursday morning.
“Fridriksson emerged successful through a team effort, excelling in his assigned role,” added head coach Fotis Takianos, “He was a huge help with his showing and was also helped by his teammates.”
From picking up basketball in Iceland to attempting to wake a sleeping giant in PAOK.
PAOK passion spreads to Fridriksson
Among the most successful clubs in Greece, the team based in Thessaloniki has been shy of titles for more than two decades, specifically since winning the Greek Cup in 1999. Opening the continental campaign with a stunning performance, reminiscing past European glory, and possibly contending for the BCL title excites both fans and Fridriksson.
“Whenever I am on the floor, I want to give my all for PAOK,” the Icelandic guard shared his approach, “I hope for more similar performances.”
PAOK has participated in seven of the eight installments of the Champions League. Making it to the Play-In stage was the final stop over the last two seasons, after reaching the Round of 16 over the first three seasons and being held to an exit in the Regular Season in 2019-20. Launching the new season with a convincing display, a longer run seems to be in the works.
“It was our first game in the BCL. We prepared well and believed,” Fridriksson avoided setting higher expectations so early in a lengthy and demanding continental challenge and shared his view on upsetting the Lions in Turkiye, “We dedicate the win to our supporters.”
The team based in Thessaloniki has a rich tradition in European club continental competitions, including winning the 1990-91 edition of the FIBA Saporta Cup and the 1993-94 edition of the FIBA Korac Cup. The successful stretch reached the Final Four of the 1992-93 FIBA European League, ranking third in the Peace and Friendship Stadium of Piraeus.
Emphasizing that era, Fridriksson was born a few months after the second and last continental championship of his current team! However, he is keen on establishing himself as the team leader. And why not carry PAOK to such success going all the way this season?
List of Basketball Champions League triple-doubles
Kramer, 35, was an American import for Oldenburg between 2012 and 2017. He played in 16 games of the 2016-17 installment of the BCL and made history by becoming the first player to record a triple-double.
Butkevicius, 30, remains active and currently plays for Zalgiris. He played for his hometown Klaipeda outfit from 2013 to 2017 with nine games played in the BCL, including the triple-double midway through his last campaign.
From the USA and Lithuania, the third triple-double comes from Iceland and Fridriksson.
| Player | Game | Stats |
| Chris Kramer | EWE Baskets Oldenburg vs. Muratbey Usak Sportif | 16pts, 13ast, 10reb |
| Arnas Butkevicius | Neptunas vs. PAOK | 19pts, 13reb, 10ast |
| Elvar Mar Fridriksson | PAOK mateco at Galatasaray Ekmas | 19pts, 11reb, 10ast |
Basketball Champions League, Part Two
Fridriksson averaged 11.3 points per game over 15 appearances with Rytas in his first BCL campaign, before moving his talents to PAOK for the 2023-24 season.
The previous major highlight of his career was being named MVP for the 2020-21 season of Lithuania’s top-tier division, rewarding a breakout campaign as a member of Siauliai. He tallied 15.3 points, 7.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game over 36 appearances.
Developing in the United States, he played college basketball for LIU and Barry University after leaving Njarovik and Iceland in 2014. His second departure led to Sweden in 2019, before the first stop in Lithuania. Belgium and Italy were next before the most recent challenge in Lithuania’s Betsafe LKL and from there to the triple-double region.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League