By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Initially studying the game and opponent tactics before jumping into the action, bench specialists are among the key assets for several teams. The best Basketball Champions League example of the 2023-24 season is Zoltan Perl. He is bound to become the best example in league history.
Perl, 28, is up to 482 points coming off the bench for Falco Vulcano Szombathely through the last five editions of the Champions League. He recently passed Tomas Delininkaitis and his 443 points to sit second on the all-time list. First-placed Dusan Sakota has 533 points, all with AEK over three campaigns.
Considering the 31 points in the losing effort against Peristeri bwin on Tuesday, Perl would reach the top at the end of the Regular Season. However, pushing the Hungary champions to the Round of 16 or at least the Play-In stage would probably guarantee climbing up to first place this year, even in the probable event of averaging fewer than 25.5 points per game.
The team coached by Milos Konakov was forced down to 1-3 and the wrong end of a possible tiebreaker with Peristeri. Vassilis Spanoulis’ side went up to 2-2 and French club Le Mans carries a 1-2 tally. Unicaja banking in three wins in as many games is looking good for the direct ticket to the next round, leaving the remaining Group A participants in a battle for the two berths in the Play-Ins.
Breaking records is his thing
The chase is on to emerge as the best bench scorer. Other records were already broken last night though.
Perl’s 31 points were his best scoring showing in the BCL. Netting 12/20 field goals and 5/5 free throws placed him as the eighth reserve player and the first from Europe to produce more than 30 points in a single contest of the Champions League. He was coming off two consecutive showings with over 30 points in Hungary’s NB I/A over the last ten days, pushing his side to 7-1 in the Regular Season.
Behind the latest productive display, Szombathely bounced back from a 21-point deficit to shooting distance in crunch time. The visitors narrowly held on for the win in Arena Savaria despite the ejection of head coach Vassilis Spanoulis in the fourth quarter.
“In the first half, we played terrible. We were soft,” admitted Perl and went on to the gains of the evening, “We changed in the second half. We played well. Unfortunately, it was not enough. But it is a good sign that we did not give up and we fought until the end of the game.”
More determination is required in the upcoming continental outings. Similar to the 21-point hole against Peristeri, Perl and his teammates need to kick it up a notch in the two remaining games to get the job done.
The hometown hero
Besides spending two years in Italy and the top half of the 2018-19 season with Movistar Estudiantes, the Szombathely native has been a star for his hometown team for the rest of his career. From basketball upbringing to the ongoing lengthy spell as the team leader.
The experienced guard debuted in the BCL averaging 8.0 points per contest for Estudiantes in the Qualification Rounds before the 2018-19 Regular Season. Returning to Szombathely drew up 44 of his 48 appearances in the competition, including all 40 in the Regular Season and Round of 16. Apart from topping Group D and then being held to a 1-5 record in Group L of the Round of 16 in the 2021-22 campaign, his side did not make it out of the Regular Season on the remaining three opportunities.
Visiting Malaga on December 6 and hosting Le Mans on December 19 concluding the double-legged round-robin present the next chance to advance through the Regular Season. It will not be easy, but not impossible.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League