Tenerife find a new go-to Guy as Shermadini reaches milestone

MIES (Switzerland) - Lenovo Tenerife and Pinar Karsiyaka played one of the best games of Basketball Champions League Season 8 on Tuesday, with the Spaniards emerging victorious behind their new go-to (Kyle) Guy.

It finished 106-97 for the two-time BCL champs, who got a winning start to the Round of 16 after a dramatic overtime clash in front of the packed to the rafters Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Karsiyaka Spor Salonu in Izmir, Turkiye.

It seemed coach Ufuk Sarica would find a way to maintain his team's perfect home record when Karsiyaka reached an 11-point lead,  their largest of the game, early in the fourth quarter. However, Tenerife coach Txus Vidorreta had a new guy Karsiyaka weren't prepared for - Kyle Guy.

The 26-year-old shooting guard knocked down four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to get Tenerife back into the game and force overtime. It was his first BCL game, but he needed no introduction to the big stage with his impressive CV.

Guy was the NCAA champion with Virginia back in 2019, when he was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. He tried his luck in the NBA and then moved to Joventut Badalona in 2022 to make a name for himself as an elite shooter in European basketball.

No wonder a sharp shooter of his prowess found a place in Vidorreta's system in Tenerife, and picking him up mid-season may be one of the best moves by Lenovo Tenerife's front office throughout all of their BCL campaigns.

Guy finished with 25 points in 28 minutes of work off the bench, and Tenerife were a +11 team with him on the floor. He knocked down five three-pointers on the day, and finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Guy's fourth quarter heroics made Giorgi Shermadini's milestone even sweeter. The Georgian big guy collected 25 points on the day to climb over the 1,000-point mark in his BCL career. He is only the second player to ever pass the milestone, following Vojtech Hruban earlier this season.

Hruban, who plays for Cholet Basket this season, stands at the top of the table with 1,045 career points. Shermadini is now at 1,020, so the chase is on for the top spot of the leaderboard during the Round of 16.