MIES (Switzerland) - Aside from all teams fighting to lift the spiky trophy at the end of the season, there is another major battle set to climax during the Final Four weekend. It's the MVP Race, and we will keep track of players' progress all the way until the end of the season.

To figure out who has the best chances to win the award, we have to take a look at the profiles of previous MVPs in the Basketball Champions League. Jordan Theodore, Manny Harris, Tyrese Rice, Keith Langford, Bonzie Colson, Chima Moneke and TJ Shorts II all reached the Final Four, all played crucial roles in their teams getting there, all made clutch shots during the seasons and had the numbers to prove they were the Most Valuable Players.

Who will succeed TJ Shots II as BCL Season MVP and have his picture taken in such a cool setting?

With that in mind, during the MVP Race, we will have four serious questions to help us figure out who the leader is at each checkpoint:

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
(2) Is he the reason why?
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
(4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?

Since this is a column and it is in no way a serious piece or an official ranking, we need the grand separator to figure out the leader. That's why the fifth question will always be random, to give you a hint of who's the guy in the lead.

This week, it's more bizarre than ever:

(5) Was he a regular visitor in a Juvenile Detention Center back in college, working on a master's degree in psychology on improving juvenile offenders' re-entry into school systems?

(See, number five is truly random).

Okay, let's do this:

#10 Simon Birgander (UCAM Murcia)

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Yep, 2-1.
(2) Is he the reason why?
Well, not really.
(2.25) Wait, what do you mean?
I mean, he's not exactly the crucial piece for UCAM Murcia, he missed a game and they still won it by 25.
(2.5) What are we doing here then?
We're just praising his rock-solid start to the season, and an incredible efficiency-wise blast off as he moved to Murcia after years of playing as backup center at Joventut Badalona. He gets you 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal per game, in limited minutes, too.
(2.75) ...but he's not the leader of the MVP Race?
Nope. Keep it up, tho. Te estoy viendo, Simon.

#9 David McCormack (Darussafaka Lassa)

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Yes, 2-1.
(2) Is he the reason why?
Yes, they were +31 against VEF Riga and +14 against Lenovo Tenerife with him on the floor.
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
15.0 points, 65.5 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals.
(3.5) Sounds like you're not telling us everything stat related?
0 assists in three games, -19 in 25 minutes against Cholet.
(4) If their season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?
Hard to imagine it with Kyle Allman and Todd Withers also there. Maybe a putback dunk or a tip-in?
(4.5) But he's not the leader of the MVP Race?
No, not really.

#8 Marcelinho Huertas (Lenovo Tenerife)

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Somehow, they always do. 2-1.
(2) Is he the reason why?
Lenovo Tenerife are a +35 team in his 76 minutes this season. He was +1 even in a defeat.
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
10.7 points, 9.3 assists, 16.0 efficiency.
(4) If their season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?
Not only is he taking it, we already know it's a one-legged midrange runner.
(5) Was he a regular visitor in a Juvenile Detention Center back in college, working on a master's degree in psychology on improving juvenile offenders' re-entry into school systems?
Nope, not really. He was already playing professional basketball at 18.
(5.5) So he's not the leader we're searching for?
Oh, he's a leader alright. It's just that he's not a leader of this race, right now.

#7 Harald Frey (Telekom Baskets Bonn)

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Yep, 2-1.
(2) Is he the reason why?
Ehm... No? His best game was actually in a defeat, and they won a game which he sat out due to injury.
(2.25) Feels like he's here the same way as Birgander?
Yep. Because - get this - even when the defending champs lost to Hapoel Holon, it certainly wasn't because of him, because he had 26 points and 10 assists, and Bonn were +27 with him on the court.
(2.5) Wait, they lost a game in which their starting point guard was +27!?
Yep. That's BCL for you, I guess.
(2.75) Unglaublich... Anyway, not the leader here?
Nope. But if Bonn give us a bit of 2022-23 feel, don't be surprised if another lefty point guard ends up with a bonus trophy in his hands.

#6 Chris Dowe (Bertram Derthona Tortona)

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Yep, 3-0!
(2) Is he the reason why?
Yep, leads the team in assists, second in rebounds (as a guard!), third in scoring, Team of the Month in October.
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
11.7 points, 5.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 15.7 efficiency. All-rounder.
(4) If their season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?
Sure, if Retin Obasohan, Mike Daum, Arturs Strautins and Kyle Weems are all covered and there's no way to throw an alley-oop to Leon Radosevic or TaShawn Thomas.
(4.33) That doesn't sound convincing.
Nothing against Dowe. It's just the depth of this squad, man. Not your regular newcomer to the League.
(4.66) So, not the leader of the MVP Race?
Nope. But the engine behind Tortona's success, for sure.

#5 Vernon Carey Jr (Pinar Karsiyaka)

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Yep, 2-1.
(2) Is he the reason why?
MVP of October!
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.7 assists, 21.7 efficiency.
(3.25) Why aren't you telling us the +/- stat? You always mention the +/- stat if it's good.
Pinar Karsiyaka are actually -22 in Vernon's 84 minutes this season.
(3.5) That doesn't sound MVP-ish...
Yeah, but think of it this way: He's a 22-year-old rookie, he's already dominant, and there's obviously room for improvement both for him and for the team.
(3.75) So you see him as the leader of the MVP Race in near future?
Yep. Especially if KSK keep winning. He could be the steal of the century if they have a good season.

#4 David Kravish (Unicaja)

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Always, 3-0.
(2) Is he the reason why?
Of course, Unicaja are +40 in David's 61 minutes this season.
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.7 steals, 17.0 efficiency.
(4) If their season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?
Sure, once Kendrick Perry, Tyson Carter, Will Thomas, Dylan Osetkowski, Tyler Kalinoski and Kameron Taylor have all taken their shots, sure.
(4.33) What the...?
Well, clearly he's not the clutch-shooter, game-winner, risk-taking kind of guy, but he's the most efficient guy on (one of) the best team(s) of the season so far. So this is best-player-on-best-team clause, you know, Manny Harris in AEK in Season 2 type of candidature to win the MVP award. You know, they had Kevin Punter, Delroy James, Mike Green, Dusan Sakota and Vince Hunter, it was just that Manny was the most consistent back then.
(4.66) But David's not the leader of our MVP Race?
Nope.

#3 Gregor Hrovat (JDA Bourgogne Dijon)

(0.5) Hold up. A Dijon player not named David Holston is here!?
Yep, the world's gone crazy.
(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Oh yes, 3-0, smoothest of all sailings Dijon ever had in the BCL.
(2) Is he the reason why?
Oh yes, Dijon lead the League in scoring (93 points per game), and he leads the team in efficiency ans is in second spot in the entire BCL in steals per game.
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
14.3 points, 54-42-83 shooting splits, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, 19.0 efficiency, +11 in his 79 minutes of action.
(4) If their season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?
David Holston is still on the team, so probably not.
(4.5) But still an impressive season for the Slovenian Olympian?
Oh yes, in theory only two other players were better than him through the first three Regular Season games in the BCL. He's still just 29, with a lot of elite basketball in front of him, and yes, he could be there when we hand out the Star Lineup First Team awards.

#2 Levi Randolph (Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem)

(1) Does his team have a winning record?
Yep, 2-1.
(2) Is he the reason why?
LOL.
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
19.0 points (third in the entire BCL), 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 17.3 efficiency rating per game. And +6, but that's really not an important stat with Jerusalem because it feels like they played 50 or so single-digit games in BCL history.
(4) If their season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?
Speedy Smith took a couple of those, Khadeen Carrington gets a vote, too, but realistically, Levi's post ups or right dribble pull-ups are your best bet.
(5) Was he a regular visitor in a Juvenile Detention Center back in college, working on a master's degree in psychology on improving juvenile offenders' re-entry into school systems?
Nope. Masters in Marketing, University of Alabama.

#1 Chasson Randle (AEK BETSSON BC)

(1) Does his team haven a winning record?
Yep, 3-0!
(2) Is he the reason why?
Yep, came up big numerous times, especially in that road game at Sassari, hitting clutch three after clutch three.
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP?
15.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 18.0 efficiency rating.
(3.33) ...and?
And shooting splits of 62-63-75 percent! RANDLE IS SHOOTING 10-OF-16 FROM BEYOND THE ARC THIS SEASON! THAT'S MORE THAN FIVE ATTEMPTS PER GAME!
(3.66) We get it, turn the Caps Lock off.
Sorry.
(4) If their season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?
Taking and making it, too.
(5) Was he a regular visitor in a Juvenile Detention Center back in college, working on a master's degree in psychology on improving juvenile offenders' re-entry into school systems?
YES! Not only was he Stanford's all-time leading scorer, he earned a Bachelor's degree in three years, and then worked on a Master's degree by going to the Scott County Juvenile Detention Center in Davenport, Iowa. By talking to juvenile inmates,  having conversations going on the entire time, he dedicated his time to giving these kids another chance, especially when it comes to how they perceive themselves, how the teachers perceive them and where they see themselves in the future. No wonder people said Chasson was one of the best ever to come through Stanford's program. Even if they never mentioned the stuff he did on the basketball court.

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