Shuler named MVP of Week after Nanterre Double OT triumph

NANTERRE (Basketball Champions League) - There's nothing like adding an experienced player with a winning mentality to give a team an extra edge heading into a competition like the Basketball Champions League.

When Nanterre 92 signed Jamal Shuler after last season, they were getting that sort of player, a clutch performer who never ran from danger while on the books of AS Monaco but rather came to the rescue.

The club has made a wise investment because 31-year sharpshooter Shuler has been as reliable and inspirational as they'd hoped.

His latest heroics came on Wednesday night when Nanterre prevailed in a double overtime thriller at Sidigas Avellino.

Shuler poured in 23 points and had 9 assists, one of them coming at the end of the first overtime to force the second and help set up a 106-102 triumph for the French club.

After his latest terrific effort, Shuler has earned the distinction as the MVP of the Week.

It's games like the one in Avellino that Shuler loves to be a part of.

"It was a great atmosphere," he said. "The fans were rowdy in the second half. They're an excellent team both in the Champions League and the Italian league. This was a big confidence boost for us."

While Shuler has scooped the highest honor of Gameday 9, he has made it clear that Nanterre are about the entire unit and not just him.

Everybody contributed that stepped on the floor for us. I'm proud of my teammates. It was just a big win for us on the road.Shuler

Lahaou Konate had a huge game with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal, and Heiko Shaffartzik contributed 19 points and 4 assists.

Terran Petteway also had a big game with 17 points, 9 rebounds and a steal. 

"Everybody contributed that stepped on the floor for us," Shuler said. "I'm proud of my teammates. It was just a big win for us on the road."

Shuler played at the Final Four last season with AS Monaco

Shuler has been consistently excellent, hitting double digits in points in all but one of the team's games, including the two Qualification Round 3 clashes with Tsmoki-Minsk.

He has made 40 of his 80 attempts from 3-point range and is now averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 assists per game.

At CEZ Nymburk last week, he had 26 points and the week before that at Besiktas Sompo Japan, he had 18 points. The game before that against Stelmet Zielona Gora, Shuler had 22 points.

Yes, Shuler is on a tear, averaging more than 22ppg over the last four Basketball Champions League games and best of all for Nanterre is that they have won 6 of their 9 games in the Regular Season and are second in Group D behind only Besiktas (7-2).

 Jeff Taylor