By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
It is all about scoring. A simplistic approach but accurate in a race to become the top scorer of the Basketball Champions League.
Following the conclusion of the Round of 16, eight teams extended the continental campaign into the Quarterfinals. Most feature candidates for the distinction of best scorer in the 2023-24 campaign.
Jayvon Graves of MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg leads the league for the most points scored and Anthony Cowan Jr. of Promitheas has the most points per contest. Both are set to compete for a spot in the Final Four via a best-of-three series. And more heavy hitters are on the same path as well.
Eurohoops presents the players with the most points in the BCL.
Leading bids
Anthony Cowan Jr. (18.6 ppg, 242 pts)
Joining Promitheas in 2022 and emerging as the captain of the Patras outfit, the former Maryland standout made a splash in his first BCL campaign. Averaging a league-high 18.6 points per game over 13 appearances, he was the driving force to qualify for the next stage. Ilias Papatheodorou’s side is among the unseeded teams in the Quarterfinals draw.
Cowan, 26, scored exactly 30 points twice in the 2023-24 season and went over the 20-point mark on seven occasions. Limited to five points in Gameday 6 of the Round of 16 was not enough to knock him off from the top spot among players with the most points per game.
Jayvon Graves (17.5 ppg, 263 pts)
After introducing himself with 10.8 points per contest with Limoges CSP, the Buffalo product is up to 17.5 points per contest in a second straight year in the Champions League. Similar to Promitheas, MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg ranking second in its group will need to overcome the opponent’s homecourt advantage to advance to the Final Four.
Graves, 25, is up to a league-high 263 points, heading to the next challenge with the German club. Packing nine showings with at least 20 points between the Regular Season and the Round of 16, he will certainly be a problem for any top-seeded side looking to eliminate Ludwigsburg.
Hunter Hale (16.8 ppg, 201 pts)
Back to Promitheas for the player currently ranking fifth in points per game and sixth in total points. Joining forces with Cowan has been explosive. Despite running for top scorer, his unselfishness, portrayed by 2.9 assists per contest so far, worked wonders for head coach Papatheodorou, often sending the opposing play-caller into a frenzy.
Hale, 26, wrapped up the Round of 16 with a 29-point effort against AEK Betsson, including nine unanswered points down the stretch to stop a comeback bid by the hosts. It was his fourth outing with at least 20 points.
Experienced candidates
Outsiders with double-doubles
Besides the most double-doubles in BCL history, Marcelinho Huertas and Joe Ragland are involved also in the late sprint to the top of the scoring list.
Huertas, 40, averaged 15.8 points per game and scored a total of 189 points, leading Lenovo Tenerife to the Quarterfinals. The team based in the Canary Islands carries the experience of seven previous appearances among the last eight contenders, including four with the Brazilian guard on board.
Ragland, 34, tallied 14.3 points per game and scored a total of 200 points for the team coached by Vassilis Spanoulis. Fueling an improbable rally from a 0-3 start to sneaking into the Quarterfinals in the finale of the Round of 16, he is eager for more success in the Champions League.
Missing the cut
Other players fall out of the race with their respective sides eliminated.
An impressive campaign for 23-year-old Vernon Carey Jr. produced a total of 249 points. He ranks second, trailing only Graves. Experienced teammate Errick McCollum is fourth with 215 points. Both will soon be leapfrogged by more players with Pinar Karsiyaka forced to the sidelines.
Averaging 17.3 points per game, including a career-high 40 points in Gameday 4 of the Round of 16, Mindaugas Kuzminskas of AEK is knocked out as well. Levi Randolph of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem exited with 16.2 points per contest.