by Utkan Şahin / info@eurohoops.net
Throughout Zeljko Obradovic’s storied EuroLeague career, only eleven of his players have scored over 30 points in a single contest. Just a short time in as Obradovic’s player, Nando De Colo became the eleventh on Thursday evening setting his career-high in Europe’s premier competition with 39 points in Fenerbahce Beko’s home victory versus KIROLBET Baskonia.
The Serbian head coach rarely counts on one player in particular to put up points and help his side secure the “W”. He usually relies on their all-around attributes with his teams mostly featuring balanced scoring. Many greats like Dejan Bodiroga, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Dimitris Diamantidis, Vassilis Spanoulis, Sasha Djordjevic and Bogdan Bogdanovic never went over 30 points under Obradovic, but De Colo did inserting himself in a prestigious list.
Eleven players make out a total of sixteen 30-point showings. Our list only features these players that posted 30 or more points in a single EuroLeague affair, not any other competition.
11- Jordi Villacampa (Joventut Badalona)
Season: 1993/94
Game: Cibona Zagreb – Joventut Badalona: 74-82
Performance: 30 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
We travel to Badalona for our first stop. Obradovic coached the local club in the 1993-94 season leading the side to its only EuroLeague title. Spanish legend Jordi Villacampa was his most important asset. He was named to the Final Four team and was the savior several times throughout the season.
At Zagreb, Villacampa scored 30 points with 12/17 from the field leading his side to the road win against Cibona. The result allowed Obradovic’s team to advance and eliminate the hosts on the tiebreaker.
10- Arvydas Sabonis (Real Madrid)
Season: 1994/95
Game: Real Madrid-Union Olimpija: 74-72
Performance: 30 points, 20 rebounds, 4 assists
Despite Arvydas Sabonis already entering legendary status, Real Madrid was without a EuroLeague title for 14 years. Obradovic, already a titleholder with Joventut Badalona and Partizan, arrived to lead the Whites and Sabonis to Europe’s top.
The Serbian head coach made defense a priority for Madrid and trusted Sabonis in offense. The Lithuanian legend did not disappoint, especially against Olimpija. He went for 30 points and 20 rebounds in 45 minutes.
9- Predrag Danilovic (Partizan)
Season: 1991/92
Game: Partizan – Olimpia Milano 86-70
Performance: 31 points, 7 rebounds
Partizan’s run to the EuroLeague title in 1992 remains among the most impressive stories in European basketball history. You could not expect much from a recently player turned head coach and a very young squad, especially when the team could not play at home. However, the club achieved greatness behind Sasha Djordjevic, Predrag Danilovic and Zeljko Obradovic.
Danilovic was a gifted scorer. For younger fans, you might say he shares similarities with Bogdan Bogdanovic. He got hot in the begging of the season versus Milan and scored 31 points with 11/14 two-pointers plus 3/4 three-pointers in 40 minutes. The interesting part of the big outing was his 0/5 free throws.
8- Zeljko Rebraca (Benetton Treviso)
Season: 1997/98
Game: Benetton Treviso – Efes Pilsen 67-57
Performance: 31 points, 5 rebounds
Obradovic headed to Benetton Treviso in the summer of 1997 aiming to lead the Italian team to the Final Four alongside Maurizio Gherardini currently with him at Fenerbahce Beko as well. In the playoffs his side collided with Efes Pilsen.
Henry Williams was seemingly the player to watch, but Zeljko Rebraca was on hand to put in the points instead of “Hi-Fly”. With 12/17 from the field, he posted 31 of his team’s 67 points for the 1-0 lead in the series.