By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Scanning the 2024-25 edition of the Basketball Champions League, FIT/ONE Wurzburg Baskets is arguably the most underappreciated team moving straight from the Regular Season to the Round of 16 as a group winner. Don’t look now, but experienced head coach Saso Filipovski and his players are up to 1-0 in Group I.
Rewind to the Regular Season, Wurzburg outlasted Nanterre 92, Hapoel Netanel Holon, and Igokea m:tel to win Group A in the finale of a six-game double-legged round-robin schedule. Before Gameday 6, it could have gone from elimination to the top seed, similar to the remaining three teams. A win in Laktasi Sports Hall over Igokea set the W-L tally at 4-2 and secured first place, thus a direct ticket to the Round of 16.
Rested and refocused, resuming the continental campaign more than one month later, edging out Bertram Derthona Tortona in Tectake Arena opened a new six-game schedule on Tuesday.
The German club wandered from a double-digit lead in the second quarter and another solid run in the third quarter to coming back from a seven-point deficit in the final minutes of a crazy contest. An equal total of 13 two- and three-pointers produced the close win.
“It was a beautiful game for everybody, this thriller, but the point is we have to learn the story, the story of life,” mentioned Filipovski, “God takes and God gives. And you have these kind of challenges, then you have to learn and grow. So, we must stay positive and also stay in a good personality when losing.”
Nearing three decades since starting his coaching career, the 50-year-old tactician has been in charge of Wurzburg since 2021, building the way up the Champions League. Earlier experience as a head coach includes Partizan NIS in 2020-21 and AS Monaco in 2018-19, besides Banvit, Stelmet Zielona Gora, Union Olimpija, Lottomatica Roma, Lokomotiv Rostov, and KS Turow Zgorzelec.
“This is an incredible win,” he continued on the back-and-forth with the Italian club, “If they won, they would have a deserved win. We must be honest here, this is a very very strong team, very very well coached. Their strategy was really difficult to follow because they were doing many things, defensively. I am very proud of what we did and how we worked.”
“I’m also happy that life shows there is rain and sunshine. You have to be positive and keep working when there is rain and sunshine will come if you’re the right person,” added Filipovski, revealing the motivation behind the success with Wurzburg.
In Saben Lee’s style
Sidelined players the likes of Zac Seljaas, Nelson Phillips, and Fabian Bleck complicated the task but other players stepping up in key moments got the job done against Tortona.
Before the nail-biter, Saben Lee was the only player to combine over 30 points with at least five rebounds and five assists in a single 2024-25 BCL game. Piling up 34 points, six assists, and five rebounds against Tortona. Jhivvan Jackson became the second.
“I’m just proud of the guys,” he said after falling one point short of matching his best scoring showing between the BCL and domestic competitions in Germany this season, “We fought and stayed together. And we just came out on top towards the end.”
The former UTSA standout is now averaging 19.4 points, 5.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game, heading to the next challenges in his debut BCL campaign.
Another similar sample from Gameday 1 of the Round of 16, 18-year-old Hannes Steinbach went from 11 points across four appearances in the Champions League to posting an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double.
What’s next?
Located in the city where Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki was born, basketball attention naturally focuses on the legend of German and European basketball. However, locals are passionate about the basketball club as well and this was apparent once more on Tuesday.
After being the runner-up in the 2018-19 installment of the FIBA Europe Cup, Wurzburg sat out European club continental competitions for five years in a row, before surfacing in this season’s BCL. Few projected Filipovski’s side to make any kind of noise but the noise arises, not only from the fans looking to support their favorite team in Tectake Arena.
With Greek clubs AEK Betsson and Promitheas Vikos Cola completing Group I, a 1-0 start sets the pace in the hunt for a spot in the Quarterfinals of the top-tier club continental competition of FIBA Europe. The top two teams after six games will advance to the next stage and then seek a berth in the Final Four via a best-of-three series in the Quarterfinals.
Adding to the excitement surrounding the bottom end of the 2024-25 journey, a 9-7 record in the BBL is tied for sixth in the domestic league’s table. After reaching the Semifinals of the 2025 Playoffs and falling to FC Bayern Munich, Wurzburg is hoping to bounce back with more of the same or perhaps end up even higher in the final standings.
Photo Credit: FIBA