By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
A huge individual performance in a comeback win allowed Jared Harper of Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem to earn MVP of the Round honors for the third time in the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup season.
Harper led Israeli team to a 77-94 road victory over Turk Telekom Ankara with a career-high 35 points on 8-of-12 two-pointers, 2-of-6 three-pointers and 13-of-13 free throws. He added four rebounds, three assists and nine fouls drawn for a PIR of 38, the highest in Round 9.
Ante Tomic of Joventut Badalona amassed a PIR of 29 in his team’s 89-78 road loss against Bahcesehir College Istanbul, having 18 points on 6-of-6 two-pointers and 6-of-6 free throws, six rebounds, two assists and six fouls drawn.
Jean Montero led Valencia Basket to a 96-107 road victory over Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse with 19 points, four rebounds, nine assists, two steals and seven fouls drawn, good for a PIR of 28.
Mfiondu Kabengele of Umana Reyer Venice and Devante Jones of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, each with a PIR of 27, round out the list of top individual performances in Round 9.
Individual highs
Harper, this Round’s MVP, led all scorers with 35 points. He is also the runaway scoring leader with 23.1 points per game.
Jordan Bayehe of Dolomiti Energia Trento pulled down 13 rebounds to lead all players in this round. Kabengele is the competition’s top rebounder with 10.5 boards per night.
Zavier Simpson of U-BT Cluj-Napoca was the only player to reach double digits in assists, dishing 10 in his team’s 87-79 home win over Aris Midea Thessaloniki. He is also first overall with 7.2 assists per game.
Landers Nolley of Aris, Cedevita’s Jones and John Shurna of Dreamland Gran Canaria each collected four steals in Round 9. Andrew Albicy of Gran Canaria and Tarik Phillip of Jerusalem are tied for the first place with 2.1 steals per game.
James Banks of Aris had four blocks, more than anybody else in this round. Kur Kuath of Veolia Towers Hamburg ranks first in blocks with 2.0 per game.
There were six double-double in Round 9: Simpson (14 points, 10 assists) and his Cluj teammate De’Shawn Stephens (11 points, 11 rebounds), Kabengele (21 points, 11 rebounds), Semi Ojeleye of Valencia Basket (11 points, 10 rebounds), Jerusalem’s Gabriel Chachashvili (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Kenan Kamenjas of Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (12 points, 12 rebounds).