By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The Basketball Champions League is getting more and more recognition and that’s a fact at this point on both sides of the Atlantic. Players who couldn’t get a chance in the more established competitions are shining on a continental level in Europe and being rediscovered while initially they may have been overlooked.
The most obvious example is Jae’Sean Tate, one of the most recent additions to the Houston Rockets roster. After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Tate signed in Belgium with the Antwerp Giants. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 24 BCL games being part of a historic run to the 2019 Basketball Champions League Final Four.
After one season more season in Australia, Tate got his first NBA deal and his BCL campaign was the springboard that propelled his career.
Congratulations to @o_tate_ on signing a three-year deal with the @HoustonRockets! ?? pic.twitter.com/ASLVfvp0lq
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) November 27, 2020
He is not the only case of young, overlooked talent that can benefit from a competition like the Basketball Champions League, which includes clubs of less developed domestic European leagues.
Those are the kind of clubs that will take bigger chances and try to find top talent while spending limited resources.
Bakken Bears’ QJ Peterson is a similar example this season, an undrafted by the NBA point guard who was picked in the first round of the 2018 NBA G League draft by the Lakeland Magic. So far he is averaging 21.3 ppg in the BCL.
Add to the mix cases like Zaragoza’s recently drafted Vit Krejci and Greek top talent Nikos Rogkavopoulos of AEK who recently admitted that he wants to improve his future draft stock via the BCL and you get the point.
No matter if you are a European talent, or an overlooked US import, you can get the spotlight in the Basketball Champions League, while creating your own legacy in a constantly growing competition.