By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Not an easy night to be a favorite in Eurocup. One week before the last game of the Last 32, we saw five more teams advancing to the next stage, but we also witnessed a pack of major surprises. Some specific underdogs took big bites of their opponents and their heroes earned a place in our list of those who made a difference during this Week. Of course we give the necessary praise to the teams that are now in the competition’s EighthFinals and the players that helped them win the critical, ticket sealing game.
Biggest Win: Aquila Trento
This is a small fairy-tale. Two years ago the club played for the second basketball division in Italy. Last season, as first timers in Serie A, they managed to compete in the playoffs and won the opportunity to participate in the 2015/2016 Eurocup. Now, in the first time that the team plays in an international European competition, Trento has made it to the 16 best teams in Eurocup one week before the Last 32 round is finished. In a moment when favorites to win the trophy… still struggle to qualify, coach Buscaglia and his players grabbed a.. comfortable road win against Reggio Emilia, checking their spot in the EighthFinals. Hats off.
MVP: Davide Pascolo
A strong performance becomes even more beautiful when it comes with a big achievement for your team. And with his 25 points and 6 rebounds, Davide Pascolo helped Trento win Reggio Emilia on the road and qualify to the EighthFinals in the first Eurocup venture in the club’s history. If that doesn’t make him an MVP we don’t know what does. Bravo ragazzi!
Best 5:
- David Logan – Dinamo Sassari
His job had become even more difficult and his responsibilities have been further increased after Haynes’ departure. Yet David Logan showed again how much can he deliver in a really important game for Sassari, scoring 21 points against Szolnoki Olaj, simultaneously pushing his team closer to the next stage and eliminating the Hungarians.
- Nihad Djedovic – Bayern Munich:
As it usually happens with his case, you realize that he is on fire from the very instant. The Bosnian player scored 18 points in the first half out of his total 28. He was almost flawless in his shooting (10/13 shots) and he also grabbed 6 rebounds to help Bayern advance to the EighthFinals.
- Anton Ponkrashov – Unics Kazan:
The team’s top scorer, Keith Langford, was sidelined but that did not matter at all for Unics, particularly thanks to Anton Ponkrashov The Russian forward kept the offensive machine of his team something more than well oiled, having no less than 15 points (!) in the first 7 minutes of the game against Nizhny Novgorod. He finished with 26 (a personal best in Eurocup) while writing an impressive 6/6 from downtown.
- Jon Brockman – Ludwigsburg
His team needed to get a road victory against dangerous Zielona Gora. And with a monster performance by Jon Brockman, everything became easier for the Germans. The 28 year old big guy was way too powerful inside the paint scoring at will against his opponents (19 pt.) but more importantly, not allowing them to even… touch the ball after a missed shot. He grabbed 17 rebounds, 9 of them being offensive (third best record in Eurocup History)
- Viacheslav Kravtsov – Zaragoza
What a ferocious output by the Ukrainian center. He often looked like he could eat both Stephan Lasme and Joey Dorsey for dinner and still look hungry. With his 16 points, 10 rebounds plus 3 blocks, he gave Zaragoza a superb boost to not only win powerful Galatasaray, but destroy them.
Coach Of The Week: Soulis Markopoulos
“Sit down son. I have some stuff to teach you” was probably what the veteran coach indirectly said to Pedro Martinez, from Valencia. Truly, coach Markopoulos’ battle plan was a lesson to be learned on how to destroy the Spanish team’s offensive mechanism. What makes his job, and PAOK’s victory even more impressive, is the fact that he didn’t have the team’s leader, highly experienced Kostas Vasiliadis, available.
Best Losing Performance: Semen Antonov
It’s a pity that he didn’t manage to combine what was probably a career night for him, so far, with a win for Nizhny Novgorod. Antonov did everything for his team, being a constant threat to Unics with his 27 points and his 7 rebounds. While he also declared “present” in the last crucial minutes, he was not enough in the end.
The Disappointment(S): Valencia & Maccabi
After a third consecutive defeat, Valencia is on the verge of finding out how thin the line between being one of the top favorites for the trophy, and getting eliminated quite early in the competition, really is. Not learning from their mistakes against Limoges, the Spaniards failed victims of simple, yet effective, defensive switches to which they they could not react. They lost their precious inside game and their offensive plan has gone to waste. Next Week’s game is by far their most crucial in the season so far.
As for Maccabi, you would have thought that it wouldn’t face any problems against a less expensive, less experienced and already eliminated team. Yet Olimpija Lubjana fought with pride and resisted enough in order to force the Israelis into a horrible game. The numbers do not lie for Maccabi’s poor offense, since the assist/turnover ratio (9/15) plus the ugly shooting from downtown (6/26) hurt Zan Tabak’s team big time.