By Stefan Djordjevic/ sdjordjevic@eurohoops.net
Having young blood with great potential on the court to provide energy and hustle is all good and well but nothing can replace the value of cold-blooded veteran players who effectively guide the team and step up in crunch time, more often than not sealing victories.
That is especially true for the highest levels of play when details decided the victors. Sometimes, there is even a thin line between just barely reaching the playoffs or actually winning the championship. Banking in a dagger shot or the game-winner or dishing one well-timed and placed assist can make the difference.
And age? Age is just a number. Nobody can beat Father Time but some individuals can certainly fight it for long enough.
It used to be that a player was ‘on the ropes’ when he hit 30 but that can now be considered no earlier than 35 and some even push that unescapable decline to the age of 40.
When it comes to the Basketball Champions League, quite a few players have stood out over the years as foolproof veteran leaders and there were examples this season as well.
One of the best times to step up has been the ongoing BCL Play-In series where the teams are in a win-or-go-home situation, and more than a few players actually showed why they’ve gained the coaches’ trust.
Without further ado, some of the ‘old guys’ who stole the spotlight.
Marcelinho Huertas (38yo – May 25, 1983)
Marcelinho Huertas has has some trouble keeping his usual consistency this season but when it was the most important, he delivered a performance that further engraved his name in the BCL’s history books.
The Brazilian-Italian point guard has combined for 15+ points and 10+ assists in three games in the Playoffs/Play-Ins, while no other player has had more than one game with those numbers in this phase of the competition. Additionally, Huertas has now made six double-doubles with 10+ points and 10+ assists, at least two more than any other player in BCL history.
Lenovo Tenerife won Game 1 against Pinar Karsiyaka and the above-mentioned numbers were sealed in the fourth quarter. Huertas scored eight points and dished three assists in the final period, including the assists to Aaron Doornekamp and Sasu Salin for five points that basically decided the outcome.
David Holston (35yo – January 26, 1986) vs. Maris Gulbis (36yo – October 4, 1985)
David Holston has been without any doubt the leader of JDA Dijon for the past few years and he’s been as consistent and clutch as a player can be. He also proved that this season in BCL.
He scored 19-18-18-19 points in the past four games with the latest coming in the BCL Play-Ins for the Game 1 win over VEF Riga. He also shot 5-10 from deep and dished out five assists in that match, in 26 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, Riga has had a veteran of their own to count on. Maris Gulbis has returned to the club after more than a decade and has been given an important role.
His answer to Holston came with 4-5 shooting from the three-point territory (5-6 overall) and 15 points, along with three rebounds and two assists. Dijon got the Game 1 win with a seven-point margin but Riga will be a tough customer in Latvia.
Guy Pnini (38yo – September 4, 1983)
“This guy is still alive?”, is a rather often seen comment by fans on social media when Guy Pnini’s name comes up and, while his presence is far from what it was in his prime, the answer to the question is “Yes”, he very much is alive.
Pnini has found his place in Holon where he’s been playing for the past four years and while his contribution has been humble, Pnini always finds a way to make that one shot that can single-handedly change the outcome of a game.
He did that once (almost twice) in games 1 and 2 of the BCL Play-Ins against Besiktas Icrypex. Pnini scored ‘just’ six points in Game 1 but the second of his three-pointers came at a crucial moment, to give Hapoel a 72-71 lead with 23 seconds remaining.
Although Isaiah Whitehead ruined it for Pnini and gave Besiktas the win, Pnini came back with another one in Game 2. He went scoreless until the final minute of the game, going 0-3 from three, and then banked in the deep shot for 71-70 and the win for Hapoel, keeping his team alive and tying the series.
Sometimes all you need is that one play and the veterans like Pnini recognize it and deliver.
Alex Renfroe (35yo – May 23, 1986) vs Sinan Guler (38yo – November 8, 1983)
Another veteran duel in the BCL Play-Ins, this time a direct one between the experienced point guards of Hereda San Pablo Burgos and Darussafaka.
Alex Renfroe joined Burgos in 2020 and has been a crucial piece in their run to the BCL championship, winning it back-to-back. Renfroe has been humble scoring-wise but his primary responsibility is ball-handling, organizing the offense and creating open shots.
And he has done just that. He’s been averaging 6.4 assists and he had a few games with 7+ dishes, his season-best being nine. In the first game against Darussafaka, he helped Burgos win with nine points, six assists, three rebounds.
Meanwhile, his opponent was Sinan Guler who answered with ten points, two rebounds, two steals, and one assist. It should also be noted that, while Guler’s got a similar role, his playing time (16 minutes) is quite shorter on average than Renfroe’s (23 minutes).