NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) - It's almost a week since the fabulous achievement of Laia Palau becoming the first player in EuroLeague Women history to hand out 1,000 assists and during that time, I have been trawling through the records.

I have already expressed my praise for the ZVVZ USK Prague playmaker and would like to reiterate once again what a class act she is. Not only is Palau top of this chart with a phenomenal milestone on her resume, you only must look at the players who are below her on that list to further highlight just what a brilliant accomplishment it is and how her longevity has been extraordinary at the highest level.

Looking down the current chart for assists, there is no doubt that Palau's landmark will stand the test of time and is unlikely to be beaten for not just a few years - but possibly for generations. The only way this won't be the case is if Celine Dumerc was to make a return to the competition from EuroCup Women where she is presently suiting up with Basket Landes, and she would have to do something sensational as she is back in third place with 839 assists.

As for the other active players who feature in the upper echelon, Diana Taurasi is on 633 and will be soon suiting up for UMMC Ekaterinburg again and looking to move up one spot when she hits 669 which would make her a member of the All-Time top five. I also think with Taurasi, this would further highlight how she is not just a shooter or player for clutch-time, but how she is one of the most creative two spot players the women’s game has ever seen. Another legend of course.

Looking further down the list, it's worth giving shout-outs to two other players still playing EuroLeague Women this season and particularly Birsel Vardarli Demirmen of Fenerbahce.

She started the new campaign in ninth place with 576 assists and after dishing out her 11th assist of the season against Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration, she moved past both Edwige Lawson and Jelena Skerovic into seventh place. I have always loved Vardarli Demirmen very much as a player, has been a long-term favourite of mine and it’s great to see her so high on this list.

Another player I admire very much and who I think is underrated is yet another Spanish point guard in Silvia Dominguez. A three-time EuroLeague Women champion, it’s no coincidence that the current renaissance at Perfumerias Avenida [where she won her first title] is taking place with her hand on the playmaking reins.

She is destined to make the top ten very soon and that would be brilliant. Dominguez started the season in 14th place with 502 assists and in coming games she will pick off Czech legend Hana Horakova. By the turn of the calendar year or in the early part of 2017, she is likely to leap above French duo Yannick Souvre and Cathy Melain who are on 531 and 534 assists respectively. And, once she gets to 538, she can tick off Zuzana Zirkova and celebrate a place in the All-Time top ten.

There are a couple of other aspects of the assists chart that I would love to flag up. Firstly, that as a player who operates exclusively under the basket, this has not stopped Ann Wauters finding herself in the top 20 and that is testament to her class and I must roll out that word legend again.

It's also a moniker that is fitting of Hungarian basketball megastar Dalma Ivanyi.

I have a game shirt from her proudly hanging on my office wall. It's inspirational. While Palau getting to 1,000 assists is breath-taking, it's hard to believe that Ivanyi got to 957 assists and second place in the all-time table when playing only 176 games. That is astonishing in comparison to everyone else in the entire list - including Palau. I only caught the last few chapters of her career and that is frustrating. Like enjoying the last 30 minutes of an action film but kicking yourself in frustration that you didn't see it all from the outset. Anyone who did is very lucky. Her 5.4 assists per game across her entire career in the competition is just magic and those working with her currently at PINKK Pesci 424 should [and I am sure do] feel blessed.

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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