By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
PATRAS – Often enough, players focus on areas of improvement rather than elaborate on clutch efforts. In such a reaction, Hunter Hale missing half of his attempts from the free-throw line eclipsed five three-pointers sending Promitheas to a win versus AEK Betsson in Gameday 1 of the Basketball Champions League Round of 16.
The explosive guard tucked in 5/7 from beyond the arc, fueling a team total of 14/28 three-pointers. The Patras outfit jumped to 1-0, forcing the domestic rival to 0-1 in the four-team group.
“It was a very good win,” Hale told Eurohoops, “We knew they wanted to come back. We played one time in the Greek league already. So, they came out with a lot of energy and a lot of fight. I am glad we pulled out a win.”
With both sides combining for 195 points in Dimitris Tofalos Arena, Promitheas previously defeated AEK on December 2. A win that contributed to a 9-6 record in Greece’s Stoiximan Basket League. Returning to the BCL and seeking a step beyond repeating the 2018-19 achievement of reaching the Round of 16, knocking down the Queen at the continental level potentially carries additional value.
“We are just trying to get better every single game,” the former Winthrop standout replied to a question about an extended run in the Champions League, “I feel like we are going to go as far as we can take ourselves. Being better every day in practice, we will be all right.”
A game-high 21 points included the go-ahead triple with 1:16 on the clock and a buzzer-beater to end the first half and change the momentum after trailing by a margin of ten points in the second quarter.
“Make free throws,” Hale commented on his performance referring to shooting 4/8 from the charity stripe, “I did not make free throws.”
“This guy has talent”
From college basketball to New Zealand and then Borac Mozzart in Cacak, Serbia, Hale’s signing with Promitheas expanded his range of competitions to the Champions League. Unlocking his potential, averaging 14.9 points behind 50.8% from the field is far from struggling in adjusting at a higher level. Adding 2.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per contest, he has emerged as a key player for Ilias Papatheodorou.
Teaming up with team captain Anthony Cowan Jr., his scoring talents are fully appreciated, especially against AEK on Tuesday. They became the first teammates to both produce over 20 points and five assists in a single BCL game since January 2020 and Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem’s pairing of J’Covan Brown and James Feldeine in a road win against Anwil Wloclawek.
With the latest defeat eventually leading to parting ways with AEK, experienced tactician Joan Plaza commented on the clutch efforts of Hale. “You can contest, but we know this guy has talent,” mentioned the native of Barcelona in the postgame press conference.
Visiting red-hot UCAM Murcia is the next continental challenge for Promitheas. A potential win in Palacio de los Deportes and thus improving to 2-0 would be a huge step toward qualifying for the Quarterfinals. Potentially falling to the Universitarios would not be a disaster, especially after protecting homecourt in Gameday 1.
“The group is very tough and very close,” noted head coach Papatheodorou adding fellow Group L participant Hapoel Holon in the mix for a ticket to the next round.
After a six-game schedule with home and away meetings between all four teams, the top two will progress to the Quarterfinals.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League