Sportando European Team of the Week: Week of April 15

Sportando once again tips off its Monday with the presentation of the European Time of the Week. After taking a look around the European leagues, the NBA and everywhere (and watching way too much streaming video and highlight clips), we hopes to acknowledge and celebrate the best in individual performance from the world of European basketball. As we see it, the Team of the Week for April 8-14 was…

First team

Milos Teodosic, PG, CSKA Moscow. As Teodosic goes, so goes CSKA. The playmaker displayed outstanding leadership skills as field general on both sides of the floor in two decisive Euroleague quarterfinal wins over Caja Laboral Baskonia. Like teammate Viktor Khyrapa, Milos was a model of efficiency in the matches, shooting an otherworldly 75% overall (12-of-16, including 7-of-8 on twos) while dishing six and seven assists, even adding eight defensive boards for the heck of it in Thursday’s game.

Video: Nearly everything Teodosic did in eight games of EL Top 16 round

Jarrid Frye, G/F, Stjarnan. The former Sacred Heart Pioneer grabbed headlines in Domino’s Deildin basketball over in Iceland (there must be *some* headlines, right?) with slick stat lines – 29 points/nine rebounds/four assists and 27/9/4 – to help get Stjarnan past Snaefell and into the national championship series. A couple questions come to mind: If playing in the Domino’s League, do you get free pizza? How much?

Video: A Frye two-handed slam from February – ‘cause that’s what we found…

Lamonte Ulmer, SF, Pyrintö. Two games in which he averaged 27 points and 11.5 rebounds belies the single-most dominant individual stat in Europe last week: Ulmer’s nine *offensive* boards in Sunday’s squeaker win over Kauhajoki – perhaps even more impressive than his 34 points and 45 PIR in that one. 

Video: “SLAMonte” stylishly promos Pyrintö

Viktor Khryapa, F, CSKA Moscow. How does a player nab a Euroleague weekly MVP award (in this case, based on a performance index rating of 25) without landing double figures in any statistical category? Simply by being everywhere like Khryapa; check out the official EL video below, which resembles a virtual how-to manual on playing hoops at the highest professional level – including appealing to unsympathetic referees on a non-call. 

Euroleague video: The Khryapa Klinik is open for business

Pau Gasol, PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers. So call it a sympathy vote. Pau’s fantastic contributions earlier in the week (two double-doubles plus a 23/9/7 at the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday), thanks to the rediscovery of that double ring-winning combination of he and Kobe Bryant, and pretty alley-oops he’d been creating with Dwight Howard may finally have convinced most in-the-know that these Lakers had finally brought everything together. (Well, OK, maybe not Steve Nash.) And then, the Torn Tendon Heard ‘Round the World happened, calling for Kobe’s supporting cast to step up against the San Antonio Spurs. Pau shot a dismal 3-of-17 but made up for it with 16 boards (including five offensive) and three blocks. And the Lakers survive to play another day…

Video: How do you say “Curly Neal” in Catalan?


Sixth man

Tyrese Rice, PG, Bayern Munich. Clearly Germany’s player of the week, Rice absolutely burned EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Phoenix Hagen for 22 and 30 points, respectively – and this on a combined 16-of-28 overall shooting plus 15-of-18 from the line. And every so often, he’ll thread the needle for a dish like this…

Video: Rice in “Durchstecker” with Lawrence Roberts at no. 8


Second team –
Miro Bilan, C, Cedevita Zagreb for his ridiculous 32 points and eight rebounds *in under 18 minutes of play* in a blowout against Protiv Sinjana;
Eurocup finals MVP Richard Hendrix, F, Lokomotiv Kuban;
Johannes Lischka, PF, for contributing two double-doubles to German Bundesliga playoff contenders Walter Tigers Tübingen;
Boban Marjanovic, C, who’s riding a streak of three consecutive double-doubles for Mega Vizura;
Dario Saric, PF/C, who’s making up for lost time this season with Cibona Zagreb;
and Vassilis Spanoulis, G, for back-to-back eight-assist efforts led the way for Olympiacos, who may now begin making flight arrangements for London.


Honorable mention: Ricky Rubio, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves – Mainly so we can post another video from the Human YouTube Highlight Clip.

Video: NBA Career-high 24 points from La Pistola.


˗˗compiled by Os Davis

Os Davis writes/posts/tweets for the ESPN TrueHoop Network site BallinEurope.com. He also co-produces the mostly European basketball-centered weekly podcast Taking the Charge, and watches way too much basketball through online subscription packages and dodgy live streams.

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