By Evangelos Papadimitriou/ info@eurohoops.net
Before the Basketball Champions League 2018-19 season started, many expected Brose Bamberg, Iberostar Tenerife and Segafredo Virtus Bologna to put their claim for the Final Four. Significantly less believed that Telenet Giants Antwerp would be among the four finalists. Without any player over 27 years old, Roel Moors led his team to unprecedented success.
Antwerp will indeed host the Final Four. The Belgian surprise-package is putting it’s country on the European basketball map and will continue to do so through May 3rd and May 5th. A magical campaign which included two-game series triumphs over UCAM Murcia and Nizhny Novgorod will conclude at the 18,500-seated Sportpaleis.
Rolling back on the members of the squad in their age, nobody is over 27 and their average age is only 23. Tenerife’s age average is 27 and the other two Final Four participants sit at 26. To put the numbers in perspective, Antwerp’s oldest player, Dennis Donkor, will turn 28 this July.
| Team | Average Age | Players over 30 |
| Telenet Giants Antwerp | 23 | 0 |
| Brose Bamberg | 26 | 4 |
| Segafredo Virtus Bologna | 26 | 3 |
| Iberostar Tenerife | 27 | 5 |
Nikos Zisis, 35, Ricky Hickman, 33, Tyrese Rice, 31, and Bryce Taylor, 32, are the ones raising Bamberg’s average. Mario Chalmers, 32, Pietro Aradori, 30, and Brian Qvale, 30, are Virtus Bologna’s oldest players. As for the Tenerife, its squad includes Davin White, 37, Rodrigo San Miguel, 34, Nicolas Richotti, 31, Javier Beiran, 31, and Lucca Staiger, 30.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League