By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The new Basketball Champions League season started with a bang and plenty of memorable performances and plays to keep us on the edge of our seats for what’s to come this season. Besides Bonzie Colson’s dominant display against Hapoel Jerusalem that granted Karsiyaka its first victory of the season, two more players put up strong performances for their teams in Gameday 1.
Two players which shared 33-point performances with both hitting eight three-pointers and raising the bar high for this season’s individual scoring records.
Former champions Lenovo Tenerife didn’t have it easy against debutants BC Prometey from Ukraine, and it took a shot at the final buzzer by Aaron Doornekamp to lift the Spanish side, though it was ol’ reliable Sasu Salin who orchestrated the efforts all game long.
Salin, 30, enjoyed his best BCL performance to date entering his third campaign with 33 points (8/13 from the three-point line), along with 8 rebounds and 2 assists to keep Tenerife competitive in the game against insatiable Prometey.
The Finnish shooting guard even managed to outscore the entire Ukrainian team 24-4 in the third quarter, resembling another big display of his during the 2020-21 season against Galatasaray.
Just across the continent, Basketball Champions League newcomer Melo Trimble went on a mission similar to Salin’s as Galatasaray prevailed over ERA Nymburk with a 101-85 win at home.
Trimble had accumulated 21 points by the end of the third quarter and signed off the game with a total of 33, including eight threes, six rebounds and three assists for Galatasaray. On top of these majestic numbers, he did not commit a single turnover in his 26 minutes on the court.
What a way to introduce himself to the competition!
With such powerful displays from the get-go of the new season, it’s only natural to expect one of the most enjoyable BCL seasons of its six-year history.
Photo: Basketball Champions League