Bonn, Galatasaray, Rytas, Unicaja and Jerusalem with players on the Team of the Month
November is behind us already, and we have selected the five best players of the month. One of them will also end up with a trophy in his hands, as one of these five is also the MVP of November in the BCL.
MIES (Switzerland) - November is behind us already, and we have selected the five best players of the month. One of them will also end up with a trophy in his hands, as one of these five is also the MVP of November in the Basketball Champions League.
TJ Shorts gets the nod for one of the backcourt positions. The Telekom Baskets Bonn guard only played a single game in November, but made it a memorable one with 27 points against AEK, meaning he became the first ever player in BCL history to get four straight games with 25 or more points.
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The other guard spot goes to Marcus Foster. The Rytas Vilnius guard was instrumental in two key wins over Peristeri bwin, which put Rytas in a position not only to advance, but to challenge Lenovo Tenerife for first spot in that group. Foster got 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in the first matchup, backed it up with 12 points in the reverse fixture.
Dario Brizuela is another option outside, leading Unicaja to a perfect month. The Spanish juggernauts are the first team to book a direct flight to the Round of 16, and they are the only unbeaten team remaining in the competition, largely thanks to Brizuela's two big games this month: He had 27 in just 19 minutes against PAOK mateco, then 11 points against JDA Bourgogne Dijon to see Unicaja through.
Angelo Caloiaro had the big numbers for Galatasaray Nef, as they stole the number one spot in their group from Hapoel Atsmon Holon in a direct battle. Caloiaro finished the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block good enough to win the tiebreaker v Holon and earn a spot on the Team of the Month.
Finally, the man in the middle is Zach Hankins. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem have won seven straight games in all competitions, and Hankins is a big reason why. In the BCL, he had 36 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks in two games against the Bakken Bears, putting Aleksandar Dzikic's team in contention for first spot in the group.
𝗙𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼. 𝟯𝟱 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳, 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗺 ✈
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) November 30, 2022
Air Zach Hankins goes off for 22pts & 9reb! #BasketballCL I @JerusalemBasket x @hankymckspanky pic.twitter.com/g8xNCsgHS8
There you have it - Shorts, Foster, Brizuela, Caloiaro and Hankins are the Team of the Month. Who will win the MVP of November award? Find out on Friday!