By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade is making history as the first team that has managed to pull off a streak of seven wins in the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague format. With a 12-8 record, Zvezda now sits in fifth place in the standings!
Dejan Radonjic and his players want to take advantage of their amazing momentum and get an eighth consecutive win. In the clash that closes the curtain on Round 21, they are hosting Anadolu Efes Istanbul, whose 9-11 record means that the visitors are just one win away from the top eight. They are “burning” for big wins, especially on the road, that will thrust them into the playoffs!
During this showdown, Charles Jenkins and Thomas Heurtel are definitely going to come head-to-head in a personal matchup! The American guard is in his fourth season in the league and his third in the Serbian club’s colors, since last season he played for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan!
A player that produces tremendous energy on the court, he’s a very effective defender and a master at applying pressure on the ball against opposing guards After 20 rounds, he is the top stealer in the EuroLeague with 2.05 per game! He provides solutions on offense, as well, both in transition situations as well as in set plays, mainly through his reliable mid- and long-range shooting ability.
In addition to his steals, this season Jenkins averages 8.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a performance index rating of 8. On November 24 against Efes, in fact, he posted a career high of 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting!
Jenkins has won one domestic championship and two cups in Serbia, while he also celebrated the title in the Adriatic League in 2015. Last season he celebrated the domestic double in Italy, winning the championship and the cup as a player for Milan!
Heurtel, born in 1989, is in his seventh season in the EuroLeague! He spent the first four with Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz and this is his third with Efes. This year, he tallies 13.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1 steal and a PIR of 13.1 per game. He’s coming off an excellent performance in Moscow, where he scored 24 points against CSKA Moscow and he came close to being the star of a major upset that wasn’t brought off.
One of the most talented combo guards in the EuroLeague, he is an excellent creator and executioner with a heightened understanding of the game and great technique. In the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, he led the league in assists, finishing with averages of 6.4 and 7.9, respectively. That average set a EuroLeague single-season record, as did his season total of 190 total assists.
He won the Turkish Cup with Efes in 2015, while at the national team level he has celebrated the gold medal with France at EuroBasket 2013 and the bronze at the 2014 World Cup.
We are expecting a very competitive game and it’s a given that the home team is going to try to control the rhythm and thwart Efes’ offensive game in order to lower the visitors’ scoring average of 84 points.
To this end, containing Heurtel’s creativity and scoring is a key objective for Zvezda, and the role of Jenkins as a defensive exterminator is going to be one of Coach Radonjic’s main weapons in this mission, in addition to everything he contributes to his team offensively!