MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA Europe Cup field has shrunk from 16 teams to eight with the conclusion of a thrilling Second Round.
And as we await the excitement of the Quarter-Finals - beginning in March - we look back on who stood out amongst the various categories during the Second Round.
Efficiency - Donatas Tarolis
Donatas Tarolis was a reliable player during the Second Round for CSM CSU Oradea, and his high-efficiency rating proved that. The Lithuanian forward averaged 19.3 points in his three games played for the Romanian outfit in the Second Round for a 23.3 rating to sit at the summit.
Electrifying guard Marcquise Reed of Tofas Bursa lands in second place as his all-round game earned him an efficiency rating of 20.5 - leading the Turkish side into the last eight. Philip Fayne completed the podium as the FC Porto forward posted a rating of 19.4 with his teammate Toney Douglas, and the recently departed Casademont Zaragoza center Jilson Bango rounding out the top five.
Points - Marcquise Reed
Reed eases into the top spot as his blistering offensive outbursts lead the way in scoring during the Second Round. The Tofas Bursa man averaged 20.8 points in all six contests, with his high being 32 points against Maroussi BC.
Tarolis is second in the points ranking with 19.3 points, with Douglas in third. He averaged 17.2 points in the Second Round; including his 36-point explosion against Maroussi on the way to being the Player of the Month.
Rebounds - Yordan Minchev
Yordan Minchev was a beast on the boards for Spirou Basket - averaging 8.7 rebounds per game to lead the way during the Second Round. The Bulgarian pulled down at least 6 rebounds in his six games played, with a best of 12 boards against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
In just three games, Cholet Basket’s Jamuni McNeace finished second overall by grabbing 8.0 rebounds per contest, and Bango was third, with 7.8 rebounds - 2.4 of which were on the offensive end.
Lefteris Mantzoukas of Maroussi BC and Kalif Young of CSM CSU Oradea finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The latter led the top five in offensive rebounds with 3.2 per game.
Assists - Kamil Laczynski
Anwil Wloclawek's Kamil Laczynski dished assists for fun in the Second Round. Even though it wasn’t enough for the 2023 FIBA Europe Cup champions to progress to the Quarter-Finals, Laczynski was the only player to secure more than 40 assists during this phase and, in 6 games, averaged 6.8 for the Polish side.
Icelandic international Elvar Fridriksson also shared the candy for Maroussi BC. In the Second Round, he averaged 6.0 assists per contest for the Greek outfit, but the team were unable to advance to the last eight despite high expectations.
Joining Fridriksson in a three-way tie for second place is BC Kalev/Cramo's Severi Kaukiainen and Tofas Bursa point guard Alex Perez, who both also averaged 6 dimes per game.
Steals - Toney Douglas & Devyn Marble
Three Porto players make up the top three spots, with a tie for first in the steals leaders for the Second Round.
Both Douglas and Devyn Marble swiped the ball 16 times in their six games; averaging 2.7 steals, while Tanner Omlid was close behind in second with 2.5 per game.
Three players are knotted for third, with Bilbao Basket’s Xavi Rabaseda alongside MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg duo Manjon-Van Ewyk and Justin Simon all posting 2.3 takeaways.
Blocks - Luca Vincini
It was a disappointment for Banco di Sardegna Sassari, as their FIBA Europe Cup season ended in the Second Round, but for Luca Vincini, he protected the rim admirably for the Italian side - swatting away 10 shots in six games, averaging 1.7 blocks in a shade under 16 minutes a game.
Tryggvi Hlinason of Bilbao Basket and Fribourg Olympic's Arnaud Cotture were tied for second with 1.5 blocks per game with Archange Izaw Bolavie, Nick Ongenda and Tarolis completing a crowded top five.
FIBA