MIES (Switzerland) - The Ninth Symphony season of the Basketball Champions League saw some incredible individual performances during the Group Phase, but it was Rytas Vilnius' hometown hero who took home the award.
Gytis Radzevicius has been named the Most Valuable Player of the Group Phase, as the Lithuanian champions shook off a slow start to the season, and stormed through to the Round of 16 with five straight wins, including an overtime thriller against Pallacanestro Reggiana.
The 29-year-old forward from Vilnius led his team in efficiency rating (19.0), doing a bit of everything with 13.5 points, 59 percent shooting from the field, 44 percent accuracy from three-point range, 7.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Radzevicius registered a 16-point, 10-rebound game against Falco-Vulcano Szombathely along the way, marking his 9th game with 10+ rebounds in the BCL, just one short of the all-time record of 10 games with 10+ rebounds, held by the former PAOK center Keith Clanton.
The news of Gytis being the MVP of the Group Phase did not surprise any of his teammates.
"I'm not surprised, because I've known him since he was 18-19 years old, and I know how much work he is putting in. He is a very good teammate and a very good fighter, a tough guy and an extraordinary fighter. If he can, he will grab all the rebounds. Of course, he is a great shooter from three-point line, an all-round player," Margiris Normantas said.
Savion Flagg offered a bit more personal experience.
"I am not surprised at all with Gytis winning Group Phase MVP. Especially because I have to defend him in practice everyday," Flagg laughed.
"He is an extremely hardworking and humble teammate! I learn a lot from him on how to take care of my body and even how to handle different situations on the court," he added.
"He's been the most consistent player and the MVP of our team thus far. Great teammate, quiet and humble, but a killer on the court. Congrats Radzo, well deserved!" RJ Cole commented.
While there were others with better numbers, Jayvon Graves explains what makes Radzevicius such a great contender in the race for the MVP of the Season.
"The best thing about him is his unselfishness. He does whatever he can to help the team win whether it shows up on the boxscore or not, a great teammate," he said.
Radzevicius grew up a Rytas fan, and after a couple of good seasons with Juventus Utena, he finally signed for his boyhood club in 2020. Over the past four years he cemented his status as the fan favorite in Vilnius, leading Rytas to two Lithuanian championships in 2022 and 2024.
His fine form did not go unnoticed in the BCL this season, as the fans voted him the Week 8 MVP, and he led the MVP Race at checkpoint 2.
Rytas Vilnius will be back in action in the Round of 16 Group J, alongside the defending champions Unicaja. The two remaining teams in the group will be the winners of the Play-In matchups between Galatasaray and Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball, and Manisa Basket and NINERS Chemnitz.