MIES (Switzerland) - For the second straight year, the Basketball Champions League MVP of November award has to be delivered to Vilnius, Lithuania. After Ivan Buva picked up the honors in November 2021, now Marcus Foster gets one in November 2022.

There must be something in the air in Rytas Vilnius' arena during this time of the year. The team was in a horrible slump in October with five straight defeats in all competitions, but then turned it around in a No-Loss November, getting six straight wins, including two in the BCL, both against Peristeri bwin, both thanks to Marcus Foster's leadership on and off the court.

If their October-November switch were a meme, Foster would've been the one saying "call the ambulance, but not for me!" He torched Peristeri with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, becoming the first player with 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a single BCL game in almost two years, getting Rytas their first win of the season.

He then came back for more, scoring 12 points to complete the sweep in Greece, not only turning Rytas from an 0-2 outsider to a 2-2 contender, but also pushing Peristeri from number one to number three in the group. All the more reason for to tip the scale in Foster's direction in the MVP of November debate.

"It means a lot to me," Marcus told championsleague.basketball.

"Especially playing the (Basketball) Champions League before, this is an award I've always tried to accomplish. It was definitely a goal to be one of the best players throughout the month, and with us winning so much, it makes it an even better feeling."

A big reason why Foster and his teammates turned the season around is the incredible home support, especially felt in that home game against Peristeri bwin. He gets to thank the fans when he receives the MVP of November award in front of them before their game against Bnei Ofek Dist Herzliya.

"Definitely! That makes it even better that I get to be in front of our home crowd, and get to hear them cheer me on about it, because I feel like this is an award for everybody. Just goes to show how good of an organization this is, from the management through the players and the coaching staff, all the way to the fans. I'm glad we get something that we can celebrate, we look forward to do many great other things this season."

Things were looking dark in October, but with a winning streak in November, Rytas put themselves in a position to challenge for the top of the group and automatic ticket to the Round of 16, because they play their remaining two games at home, including the potential decider against the defending champs Lenovo Tenerife on the last Gameday.

"It just shows how good of a team we are. Even though we didn't start the season the way we wanted to, we just found a way. The best thing about us and how we did it - we all stayed together. We didn't stay down, it was all about our chemistry coming together at the right time."

Even if they don't do the impossible and knock Tenerife down to Play-In Series, they are in a good position to finish second, which would give them home court advantage in the Play-In Series in January. A good run by Rytas with Foster averaging 20.3 points per game (#5 in the BCL) certainly increases his chances of being in the MVP of the Season consideration.

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Lenovo Tenerife	4	3	1	75.0		348	282	66	87	70.5	7
2	Rytas Vilnius	4	2	2	50.0		330	314	16	82.5	78.5	6
3	Peristeri bwin	4	2	2	50.0		309	322	-13	77.2	80.5	6
4	Bnei Ofek Dist Herzliya	4	1	3	25.0		280	349	-69	70	87.2	5

Winning MVP of November is a gigantic step in that direction if you ask the 27-year-old guard.

"Of course. Having that award, winning the first MVP of the month, that sets the tone. But it shows how good of a team we've got here, because you can't be the MVP without having a great team. It definitely pushes me and adds motivation. The more my team's winning, the more I contribute, the better the chances are I could be the MVP (of the BCL)."

Joe Ragland won the award in October, being the only player to average 15+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists in the BCL. If Foster keeps this tempo up, he could not only match it, but also better it, because he's currently on a 20.3 points, 4.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds stat line.