BAXI Manresa starts the Champions League Top16 in Nou Congost

BAXI Manresa has earned a place among the 16 best teams in the Basketball Champions League and begins the second phase of the competition this Tuesday in Nou Congost (at 20:45). The rival is the Turkish Petkimspor, who beat Hapoel Holon in the play-ins. A league where every game counts must start on the right foot.

After a spectacular game in Valencia where the locals prevailed with a great 3rd quarter, BAXI Manresa wants to remain true to their line of work and start the BCL Top16 with a good rhythm. The 13 first team players are available for this first match.

Aliaga Petkimspor was the last opponent to join Group K (which also includes Tenerife and Pallacanestro Reggiana). However, the fact that they entered the group through the play-ins does not mean that they are a less powerful team. The Turks have a powerful squad full of good players, especially in one-on-one situations. The American winger Wesley van Beck, the Colombian center Jaime Echenique and the American point guard Breein Tyree stand out.

Before the match, assistant coach Pau del Tio and winger Álex Reyes spoke. The Santa Coloma de Gramanet coach explained that "they are a team with a competitive rhythm because they have not stopped playing during the week, they have a base of American players who carry the weight of the team in minutes and scoring; you have to know how the opposing team plays and the player profile suggests that it will be a 1-on-1 match, but we have to play with our identity". For his part, the Cáceres player explained that "at some moments in the Valencia match we were not the team we want to be, now we have the opportunity in front of our fans to start the second half of the BCL well; they have 2 outside lights like van Beck and Tyree and an inside reference like Echenique; tomorrow we will have to be as focused as possible and we need the fans, who we know will be here, to make us strong at home".