Representing CB Canarias, Sasu Salin has been the most effective three-point shooter in the Basketball Champions League. SIG Strasbourg, coached by Lassi Tuovi, has also secured its place in the top eight before the final round of the continuation block.
Sasu Salin has made a devastating mark behind a three-point arc in the Basketball Champions League. The meticulous Finn dominates the list of three-point throws in a sovereign way.
Salin have hit the bonus line 45 times in 11 matches. After Salin on the list Dee Bostilla there are 35 throwns.
– At least it says that others are doing something more than just throwing threes, says Salin with a smile, but modestly.
– I have played several good games in the Champions League this season, where I have entered more than five out of three in one game. We also have a lot of patterns that I get thrown at. We have a lot of strengths on the field and one of them is my three point throw. It’s nice to note that you’ve made it to the lists and apparently a few have even gotten in.
Head coach’s playbook as made for Salin
The hall has hit a hard percentage from behind the arch. He has thrown 7.2 out of three matches in the Champions League with a 44.6 percent success rate.
MaSu-Basket’s boost is an important target weapon in the attack of the Tenerife team. According to Salin, the head coach Jesus Gomez Vidorretan there are about ten patterns in the attack stencil that aim to give him a three-point throw.
Also skilled quarterback Brazilian Marcelinho Huertasin lead to play the ball into Salini’s hands as the team longs for success behind the bonus arc.
– There are more throwing games than in any previous team in my career. The coach has made such a playbook that I get a lot of throws, which is a great thing, of course, says Salin.
– Many of my throws come from the shop. Quite rarely got thrown out of my seat. I’m quite happy with the throw percentage, although I follow very few statistics. I know through my own feeling how the season has gone.
Marked man
Salin is a closely guarded player in every match, and he does not want to be given free throws, because the Finn vaccines with a strong percentage of them.
Salin has all the qualities required of a good shooter. He has a desire to make baskets and the ball comes off the hand quickly when the throw opens. However, the most important thing about Salin is good self-confidence.
– Throwing is my strength and of course I always look at the opportunity to throw when I get the ball. I find myself a marked player in my opponent’s papers. In the previous game against Lietuvos Rytas, I was thrown 13 times behind the arc, seven of which went into the basket.
– At that time, there was a feeling that the throwing places were exceptionally easy. In the ACB league, there are far fewer throws available, comparing the difference between Sal’s tough Spanish league and the Champions League.
There is no room for mistakes on the way to the championship
CB Canarias, represented by Salin, has been one of the pre-favorites of the Basketball Champions League for years, and this year has made no exception. Over the past season, Tenerife have won 11 games and lost just three. The continuation block has been cleared by Salin and partners with a clean game.
The semi-final stage is not enough for a five-year-old Champions League winner. CB Canarias wants to return the championship back to Tenerife.
A year ago, CB Canarias ’championship in the Champions League ended in a semi-final loss Lassi Tuovin coaching the SIG to Strasbourg.
– In the last two years, we have had a little habit of freezing when more relevant matches have come. Recently, we have played several matches at the level at which we are supposed to play.
– We must continue to play at the maximum level, because no easy games are promised. If we take care of our own affairs as we should, we are close to the goal we have set, Salin decides.
Canarias and Strasbourg will face off in a Champions League qualifier on Wednesday with no place bet.
Lassi Tuovi’s SIG Strasbourg is scheduled for the Final 4 tournament
Lassi Tuovi, 35, who has been at the end of the SIG Strasbourg bench for two seasons, is aiming to lead his group into the top four in the Champions League.
SIG secured its place in the top eight even before the final round of the continuation block when it overthrew the Hungarian Szombathely in a suspense play.
The French club was on a strong flight before the Christmas break, but the injury sum has put the line-up back. The most important pieces of the rest of the season are the side of the Czech national team player Jaromir Bohacik and an American man John Roberson.
In the Champions League, SIG has also been able to snap wins as a winged man. The balance so far is eight wins and five losses.
– The season has undeniably been special, as we have had to play matches with challenging line-ups. Compared to the situation, we have succeeded well, and of course I hope that at the most important moment of the season we will be able to compete with the strongest possible team, says Lassi Tuovi in an interview with Sport.
Tuovi wants continuity
Tuovi, who will start as the head coach of the Finnish basketball team in the summer, has been hit hard in the mill as a young head coach. Tuovi stepped into his big boots two years ago when he was promoted to head coach at SIG Strasbourg Vincent Colletin after the kicks.
After that, the effects of the corona would cut the budget by one million euros, and the budget is still not at the level of previous years. SIG Strasbourg’s expenditure budget for this period is EUR 1.9 million. Despite the smaller resources, Tuovi has managed to assemble a team that will be able to fight for success not only in the tough French league but also in the Champions League.
– We managed to keep five regular players from last season’s team, and the new acquisitions have also been successful. With the pace of training being low in recent months, continuity has helped us get through the difficult stages, says Tuovi.
– Our goal is to keep as many players as possible from this season’s team for the coming season, when a certain type of project could be continued and developed for at least another year.
Last year’s semi-final loss still in mind
Last season, Tuovin SIG Strasbourg finished fourth in the Champions League and now the French club aims to reach even higher. According to Tuovi, by the time they get to the button, they have a good chance of capturing the entire championship of the competition.
The semi-finals of the Champions League will be played on the Best of Three system and the season will culminate in the Final 4 tournament in the spring.
– Last year’s performance was great in the history of the club, but the champion Burgos, who will come from the semi-finals, was left with a lot of teeth. It’s one of the few matches in my own career that I might want to play and live again, Tuovi thinks.
The development of the Champions League continues
The major European clubs are not involved in the Champions League due to a dispute between FIBA and the European Basketball League (ULEB), which has been going on for more than 20 years, and no change is expected in the near future.
The Euroleague is still the toughest series on the old continent, but in recent years the Champions League has closed the gap.
– The Champions League is evolving tremendously from season to season. SIG and Tenerife are original clubs and have been working hard to develop the series. I believe that the competition in European basketball will change strongly in the coming years and the differences will shrink even more, Tuovi concludes.
CB Canarias and Strasbourg will meet in the Champions League on Wednesday from 9.30pm.