Team of the Month for March announced: Vote for your MVP pick!
March brought us the climax of the Round of 16 and set the stage for the Quarter-Finals. With so much on the line, being selected to the Team of the Month in March must feel a bit more special than usual.
MIES (Switzerland) - March brought us the climax of the Round of 16 and set the stage for the Quarter-Finals. With so much on the line, being selected to the Team of the Month in March must feel a bit more special than usual.
Telekom Baskets Bonn are the feel good story of the season. They are now up to 15 consecutive wins in all competitions, they are 17-1 in 2023, and they are on an 11-game winning streak in the Basketball Champions League, the third longest in competition history.
TJ Shorts is the main reason for it. The point guard had a couple of points-assists double-doubles in March, and added a 22-point, 7-assist game against Rytas Vilnius for good measure. This is already his fourth selection to the Team of the Month this season.
| MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | +/- | EF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TJ Shorts' stat lines in March | ||||||||
| vs BKSK |
25 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 18 |
| vs MANR |
31 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 14 |
| vs VILN |
26 | 22 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 22 |
BAXI Manresa were in the same group as Telekom Baskets Bonn, and it took a lot of late game heroics to get last season's runners-up through to the Quarter-Finals. That's where Jerrick Harding took over, turning Manresa into a force once again in the second half of the season.
Harding had 22 points against Bahcesehir College, including a dagger three-pointer for the win. He followed it up with 21 points against Telekom Baskets Bonn, and had a 23-point game against Rytas Vilnius in a defeat - which actually turned into something of a win since Manresa protected the tiebreaker. Harding played 22 minutes and averaged 22 points per game in March.
| MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | +/- | EF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerrick Harding's stat lines in March | ||||||||
| vs VILN | 22 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| vs BONN | 22 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 19 |
| vs BKSK | 22 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -7 | 19 |
Manresa aren't the only Spanish squad with a man on the Team of the Month in March. That's because Unicaja stormed their way to win the group against AEK, Galatasaray Nef and Limoges CSP, and it also came down to the final Gameday.
Dario Brizuela was on the same level of production as Harding, getting 13 points in 13 clutch minutes against AEK, and torturing Galatasaray Nef with a 20-point performance in Malaga, produced in 18 minutes, with a pair of gigantic threes in the fourth. Without Brizuela's clutchness, Unicaja's homecourt advantage in the Quarter-Finals wouldn't have materialised.
| MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | +/- | EF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dario Brizuela's stat lines in March | ||||||||
| vs AEK | 13 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| vs GSN | 21 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
| vs GSN | 18 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 19 |
SIG Strasbourg did not win their group, but managed to edge out compatriots JDA Bourgogne Dijon in the battle for Quarter-Finals in Group I. With another successful campaign, SIGmen are now back to the Quarter-Finals for the third straight time, and fourth time in seven BCL seasons.
This time around, they turned to their homegrown player to power them through. Leo Cavaliere played his best basketball, getting to double digits in each game, including a 17-point, 7-rebound outing against Hapoel Atsmon Holon that secured Strasbourg's place in the QFs.
| MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | +/- | EF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leo Cavaliere's stat lines in March | ||||||||
| vs JLM | 26 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -7 | 19 |
| vs HOLO |
26 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 22 |
| vs JDA |
24 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 20 |
The middle of the paint belongs to Zach Hankins. Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem won 14 straight games in all competitions, picking up the Israeli State Cup along the way, and they haven't lost a game since JDA Bourgogne Dijon stunned them in Jerusalem back in January.
Hankins is the one who connects everything offensively and defensively for coach Aleksandar Dzikic. In March, he became the first player in BCL history to record five consecutive games with 10 or more rebounds, a streak which ended with foul trouble in Strasbourg on the last Gameday.
| MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | +/- | EF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Hankins' stat lines in March | ||||||||
| vs SIG |
20 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 16 |
| vs JDA |
31 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 18 |
| vs HOLO |
32 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 23 |
One of the five members of the Team of the Month will also be named the MVP of March in a couple of days, and will get to lift his trophy in front of his fans before a Quarter-Finals game.