By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Starting at Arena SamElyon in Samokov, Bulgaria, Patrioti Levice, Elan Chalon, and Bursaspor advanced through three eight-team tournaments to progress from the Qualification Rounds to the Regular Season of the Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL. In fellow late arrivals, the French side sits 3-0 in Group B and the Turkish side at 0-4 in Group C. The first-ever Slovakian entry improved to 2-2 in Group F, after rallying past NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz on Tuesday.
A complicated situation in advancing beyond the Regular Season is a huge step in itself, considering the difficult challenges to overcome from the early start to the continental campaign to more experienced rivals in the Regular Season. However, the atmosphere in Bratislava’s Gopass Arena is way more beneficial than potential wins and losses for the club and basketball in general. FIBA Europe’s top-tier club continental competition, expanding to more countries and undervalued markets, makes some noise once more.
“The environment was insane,” mentioned 27-year-old Will Carius in the postgame press conference, after chipping in 12 points, six rebounds, two steals, two assists, and one block for a key Gameday 4 win.
The home opener opposite AEK in Gameday 3 was a narrow loss for Patrioti. Two weeks later, a narrow win balanced the W-L tally.
“It was like a repeat of playing against AEK. I just love how many fans came out to support us from all over,” proudly described Carius.
“There are times you can’t hear yourself think, but that’s where you want to play. You don’t play professional basketball to play in an empty gym. This is what it’s all about, playing at the highest level possible in front of the most people who enjoy watching you play,” added the Western Illinois product.
“In this kind of atmosphere, you can go beyond the limits,” said head coach Michal Madzin on how his side dug its way out of a 15-point hole with an extra push from the fans.
Praise was not limited to the hosts enjoying crazy crowd support but extended to the visitors as well.
“It was a good atmosphere. Credit to them,” said 33-year-old Auston Barnes, accepting defeat after registering a new club record for the most points in a single BCL game with 25 behind 8/15 field goals, including four three-pointers.
“Fantastic,” the head coach of Hungary’s NB I/A champions, Vedran Bosnic, upgraded the label.
“Congratulations to Levice for the win. But also, every Champions League game should be like this. We enjoyed playing here. Very correct home court. Good game,” continued the 49-year-old play-caller, “Not missing one extra shot in the last minute, I would probably be in a better mood.”
Not bad at all for the first tastes of the BCL Regular Season action in Slovakia, with various fan events carefully designed by the team attracting more people to the stands, and thus louder support. This can be useful in the bid of the Slovakia champions over the last four years to reach the Round of 16, specifically in Gameday 6 opposite VEF Riga.
Rickey McGill magic
From a double-overtime win over the Bakken Bears to complete a perfect run in the Qualifiers and clinch a berth in the Regular Season on September 25, the team based in Levice, 110 kilometers east of Bratislava, is now tied with Olaj at 2-2, but on the wrong end of the tiebreaker. With AEK and VEF Riga at 3-0 and 0-3, it seems likely enough that the Slovakian and Hungarian teams will eventually move to a best-of-three Play-In series for a ticket to the Round of 16. Barring any changes to the current situation, the remaining two fixtures will decide which side will earn home-court advantage in the next stage of the 2025-26 season.
Well, if Rickey McGill did not take over and end up with a game-high 29 points behind 11/23 from the field in Gameday 4, Patrioti would probably be 1-3, looking at different possibilities down the stretch of a six-game double-legged round-robin schedule. Averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per contest, the former Iona standout bounced back from a four-point showing in Gameday 1 to being the top scorer over the next three team outings.
“It was a really strong effort from everyone on the team,” summed up Carius, “Rickey played a lot of minutes. We’re down a couple of guards. He made some huge plays, and scoring-wise, he’s always there for us, very consistent. And then as a team, you can go down the line and see big hustle plays, big strong plays, and just playing with confidence throughout the whole roster. That’s what it takes to win at this level, in this competitiveness, but it’s just a blast to play here. I had a lot of fun and a great win for the club.”
After the biggest comeback since the third-place contest of the 2025 Basketball Champions League Final Four powered by SUNEL, between AEK and La Laguna Tenerife in Athens, with the Queen rallying from a 17-point deficit, Levice will be in SUNEL Arena to face the team coached by Dragan Sakota on December 10, before completing the Regular Season against VEF Riga in a presumably passionate Gopass Arena on December 26.