European Prospects

The second day in the ice-cold Kaunas started again in the early morning in an arena that had some problem with the heating as it was freezing inside. Still not many spectators made the trip and the prospects had to play in front of only very few people.

CBA Academy – VEF Riga 42-64

The first game of the day saw the Latvian team dominate the Canarias Basketball Academy from the start. Behind the constant driving of Kristaps Plavnieks, they took a lead in the first half where CBA was unable to go for their aggressive play. In the second period, the Spanish academy came back in the game but four three-pointers by Davis Geks sealed the deal in the final quarter. With the big difference, Riga was back in the race to earn a qualification for the Final.

MVP: Davis Geks 18pts (4/5 3FGs), 11rebs, 4stls, 27rkg

Elan Chalon – BC Khimki 52-67

The Russian team started better as Chalon was unable to get good shots and Clint Capela was nowhere. Stanislav Ilnitskiy dominated the game with all of his moves and plays so that Khimki got an early lead that they managed throughout the first half. Capela showed a bit of his talent during the second half but the Chalon game was too chaotic to have a possibility to win this one. Khimki got their second win and came closer to the final.

MVP: Stanislav Ilnitskiy 29pts (9/16 FGs – 9/12 FTs), 9rebs, 35rkg

Vaerlose BBK – TopSportSchool 78-56

The first half of the game was marked by the only real minutes that Rasmus Larsen got in the first two days of the tournament. And what a difference it was as the mobile power forward was able to create a lot of opportunities for his team mates. Peter Moeller was hot and scored 15 points before halftime while the Belgians worked hard but not enough to keep the score close. In the second half, while Larsen was not playing anymore, the Danish team increased their lead behind Moeller’s offensive presence and well executed plays. There was no contest anymore and Vaerlose got their second win in the tournament.

MVP: Peter Moeller 27pts (11/19 FGs), 7rebs, 3asts, 31rkg

USK Future Stars – Zalgiris Kaunas 63-93

The last game in the group phase for the organizers went exactly like those before. With two or three quick runs, the Greens immediately made the break in the beginning to be up big at halftime. Tomas Dimsa was again huge with already 17pts at half while Marius Grigonis showed his all-around skill set. The second half was nothing special then as the Lithuanians brought this one home without a problem.

MVP: Marius Grigonis 11pts, 9rebs, 6asts, 2stls, 26rkg

After that game, we left the Zalgiris Arena to follow the Baltic League game between Baltai Kaunas and University Tartu.