Tenerife for the third time or Unicaja for the first time - tonight (20) the Spanish final of the FIBA Champions League will be played in Belgrade, the rivals are the teams from the Canary Islands and Andalusia, teams that know each other well and have already played two matches this season.
In the first part of the season in the Endesa League, Unicaja celebrated (98:75), while in the middle of February, Tenerife celebrated in the Cup (91:83). After tonight's match, these rivals will play a match in the domestic championship on Wednesday.
In the semi-finals, Unicaja defeated Murcia (80:74) after a turnaround and excellent play in the second half. In the second half, the team from Andalusia managed to shoot for three (in the first half they missed everything outside the 6,75 line), and they also controlled the rebound. One of the players who was responsible for Unikaha's placement in the finals is the Montenegrin representative, Kendrick Perry. He finished the game with 12 points and three rebounds, and was selected for the best five this season in the Champions League.
"I am honored, because I am in the first team, and I also have a chance to fight for the trophy with the team. It is a confirmation, not only of my work, but of the hard work of the entire team. I could not have won that award without my teammates," he said. is a member of the Montenegrin national team, who was selected in the second five of the FIBA Champions League last season. This season he went one step further.
Perry averaged 11,4 points, 2,5 rebounds and 3,8 assists this season.
"I'm grateful that I can play at a high level and compete for more trophies," said the boy from Florida, Eurohoops reports.
Plej arrived in Unikaha from Buducnost Voli two summers ago. He admits that the coach of the Spanish club, Ibon Navarro, played a big role in the transfer.
"Ibon Navarro deserves to be the coach of the year in the Champions League. I wouldn't want to diminish the success of Vasilis Spanulis (elected coach of the year in the Champions League, ed.), but Navarro's results in recent years speak for themselves," believes Peri.
Peri has been in Europe since 2015. He played for numerous Hungarian clubs, was in Russia (Nizhny), France (Metropolitan), Serbia (Mega), Slovenia (Cedevita-Olimpija), Greece (Panathinaikos) and Montenegro (Budućnost Voli). Interestingly, Unikaha is the first club where he stayed for more than one season.
"I am honored to be a part of Navarro's project and his team. He changed my life - both as a basketball player and as a person. He has a lot to do with this award I won," admits Perry.
Tonight, Peri has the opportunity to win a second trophy with Unicaja, after the triumph in the Spanish Cup last season. And tonight, in the "Belgrade Arena", he will have in front of him the legendary Marcelino Uertas, who was declared the most useful player of this competition.
"His career is a special story. I take my hat off to him. He is a hell of a player. During the conversation with him, I realized that he is a great person. It is an honor to play against him," said Perry.
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