By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The best defense is a good offense, an expression fitting Hereda San Pablo Burgos. The Spanish club has scored more than 80 points in its last 11 Basketball Champions League games producing the longest streak in league history.
The 85-74 win in the 2019-20 BCL Final highlights the batch of games stretching back all the way back to the previous Regular Season prior to the hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Taking down AEK to conclude the Final Eight held in Athens will always remain special for Burgos.
Focusing on the 2020-21 offense, the team led by Joan Penarroya is averaging 97 points per contest, good enough for a 2-1 record in Group H. Iberostar Tenerife at 89.8 points and ERA Nymburk at 88.8 follow up to third place but fall way short compared to the defending champions.
The largest contribution comes from Thad McFadden with 16.3 points per match. However, a balanced effort including five more players, Dejan Kravic, Jasiel Rivero, Vitor Benite, Alex Renfroe, Ken Horton, display a deep arsenal of offensive weapons looking to repeat recent success in FIBA’s premier European club continental competition.
In the same context, the 26.3 assists per game, the highest among all teams this season. Through the first three outings, 23.8% of the buckets made were paired with an assist with the ratio being again the highest in the Champions League.
Omar Cook at 5 points per appearance averages 9 assists per match constantly setting up his teammates for points. Another experienced player in Renfroe ranks second with 5.7 assists per game.
More than impressive for a team going through its sophomore European campaign. Next up, Darussafaka Tekfen Tuesday to wrap up a hugely successful 2020 in the BCL.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League