Between the two competitive days of the FIBA Champions League Final Four, there was an awards ceremony highlighted by Marcelinho Huertas.
The formal ceremony at the Belgrade Arena began with the presentation of awards for the second-best starting five, featuring familiar faces. Hunter Hale, formerly of Borac Cacak and now with Promitheas, had a fantastic year in Greece and secured his spot in the second team. The backcourt tandem with him includes Dylan Ennis, a former player for Crvena Zvezda and Mega. Also in the starting five are Levi Randolph from Hapoel Tel Aviv, Dylan Osetkowski from Unicaja, and Vernon Carey Jr, a member of Pinar Karsiyaka.
Next, individual awards were handed out. Howard Sant-Ross, a forward for Murcia, was named the best defender. Then, the best coach of the year in the FIBA Champions League was Vassilis Spanoulis. With Peristeri, he had a true “Phoenix” story. They were on the brink of elimination in the Top 16 phase of this competition but strung together three wins and eliminated the reigning champions Bonn in the quarterfinals. Tidjane Salaun, a key player for Chalon, was named the best young player.
Then the first starting five was announced, featuring three guards, which was not surprising. Joe Ragland, a former point guard for Crvena Zvezda was the first of the three guards selected. Next, Marcelinho Huertas received his recognition. The last of the three guards was Kendrick Perry, a representative of Montenegro and a player for Unicaja. In the center positions were Austin Wiley, a center for Tofas, and David Kravish, an anchor for the Malaga team.
The final award – MVP. In contention were the aforementioned Ragland, Huertas, and Perry. In the end, the seasoned Brazilian received the award and experienced it very emotionally, probably because his wife and children were present.
The final features Tenerife and Unicaja. The team from the Canary Islands is fighting for their third title, while Ibon Navarro‘s team is aiming for their first.