MIES (Switzerland) - After a pair of impressive games against Spartak Office Shoes in the Play-Ins of the Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, Brandon Jefferson has been named the Most Valuable Player of the Play-Ins.
The 34-year-old point guard controlled the whole matchup perfectly, counting to 29 points with 7 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in Game 1, then following it up with 13 points and 8 assists to end Spartak's dreams of becoming the first ever Serbian team in the BCL Round of 16.
Those 29 points highlights are still playing in the back of his teammates' minds.
"It was amazing to watch. I remember coming out at halftime and saying to him to be aggressive, that’s exactly what he did. Came out and hit some huge threes for us and helped close out the tough road game," Noah Horchler said.
"Yeah, when he was heating up during the game, I was thinking to just get him the ball and get out of the way."
"Not the first time that he shows up like that when the game matters," Nikos Diplaros offered, continuing:
"When he had 29 points, I had a feeling that he can make everything from everywhere!"
In Game 2, the biggest indicator of how good he was were the minutes without him on the floor. During his five-minute rest, Spartak created a +10 advantage.
However, Karditsa's playcaller Nikos Papanikolopoulos sensed when the timing was right to send him back in.
Jefferson was a +19 en route to his season-high 8 assists. Karditsa qualified to the Round of 16 in their inaugural BCL campaign, and Jefferson earned a major individual award.
"Brandon was certainly a big barometer for us, he works very hard every day, even now at his age, he tries to add more and more things to his game, and I respect it a lot," Diplaros explained.
"I don't think without him we would be this far during the Basketball Champions League play. His constant leadership has taken us a long way the whole year," Damien Jefferson added.
"Brandon is a huge part of the reason we made the Top 16 because he has been on this stage before and helped lead teams to big victories, advancing into the second group stage. In my first year playing Basketball Champions League, he has helped me a lot pushing me to become a better player and leading the rest of the team with his shot making ability," Horchler joined the chat, too.
His point is valid - Jefferson has been on this stage before, creating one of the biggest upsets in BCL history, by taking SIG Strasbourg to the Semi-Finals in 2021, eliminating La Laguna Tenerife in the Quarter-Finals thanks to Jefferson's 22 points and 6 assists.
They lost the Semi-Finals to the defending champions San Pablo Burgos then, but it remains Strasbourg's best finish in the BCL.
Jefferson is keen to make history with Karditsa, too. They will face AEK BC, ALBA BERLIN and Tofas Bursa in Group J of the Round of 16. The top two teams will advance to the Quarter-Finals.
Brandon Jefferson will receive his MVP award ahead of their next home game in the BCL, facing Tofas on January 27.