By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Mornar Bar had managed to qualify for the 2019-20 Basketball Champions League but their start was anything but good. They lost the first six games in Group C, however, the chance of advancing to the playoffs has been kept alive by two straight wins.
With six Gamedays left, Mornar (2-6) has Brose Bamberg (4-4) as well as Peristeri winmasters (5-3) and Nizhny Novgorod (5-3) in front of them and they’ll have to ‘outrun’ at least two of those squads in order to advance.
Slim chances, true, but the Montenegrins have one of the most experienced squads in BCL this year and have the skills and mentality to make it happen.
Especially with Jacob Pullen leading the charge. The 30-year-old America-Georgian guard has been averaging 19.1 points on 42.4% from deep in BCL this season and he banked 23 and 27 points in the last two games.
It seems that as he gains momentum, so does the team and that will be crucial in their effort to surprise the world.
Taking over Kansas State
After Proviso East High School, Pullen went to Kansas State and immediately found his place on the Wildcats squad. He banked 18 points on 7-11 shooting in his debut foreshadowing the future success.
The young guard continued improving year by year as did the team and in Pullen’s junior year, the Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Pullen averaged 19.3 points and was selected into the All Big-12 Team. He finished his tenure at Kansas as the University’s all-time leading scorer with 2,132 points.
Pullen was also ‘rocking’ a beard while playing at Kansas State which sparked a trend on their games as the fans would come wearing fake beards just like his. He became ‘The Beard’.