MIES (Switzerland) - Season X of the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL reached the end of the Play-Ins, with only 16 teams remaining in the competition.
We've seen plenty of great individual performances, and these five players were named to the Team of the Play-Ins: Brandon Jefferson (Karditsa Iaponiki), Nate Darling (Elan Chalon), Charles Thompson (Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets), Jahmi'us Ramsey (Pallacanestro Trieste) and Marek Blazevic (Tofas Bursa).
Brandon Jefferson powered Karditsa to a sweep over Spartak Office Shoes, pouring in 29 points, with 7 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in Game 1, and following it up with 13 points and 8 assists in the reverse fixture.
With Jefferson on the floor, Karditsa were a +19 team in Game 2. In the five minutes without him, they went -10.
Nate Darling did not play since October, but his return to the lineup proved to be crucial for Elan Chalon. The sharp shooter connected on 8-of-13 three-pointers across two games of the Play-Ins.
Darling scored a total of 40 points in those two games, helping the French team complete the sweep over Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola.
Charles Thompson was Fitness First Wurzburg Baskets' most consistent player in three games against Patrioti Levice, extending his streak to four games with 20+ in the efficiency rating stat.
Thompson averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Germans in the Play-Ins, including a monster performance with 10 offensive rebounds to save the day in Game 2.
Jahmi'us Ramsey also needed three games to reach the Round of 16, as Pallacanestro Trieste edged out NHSZ-Szolnoki Olajbanyasz with a pair of road wins.
Ramsey led the team in scoring with 17, 18 and 19 points, going 11-of-11 from two-point range in the two road games played in Hungary. Overall, he shot 22-of-42 from the field during the Play-Ins.
Finally, another player who had a do-or-die game in the Play-Ins is Marek Blazevic. Tofas Bursa's center had 12 points and 6 rebounds in Game 1, 9 points and 5 rebounds in Game 2, and then played a spectacular Game 3.
He finished with 23 points on 10-of-11 field goal shooting, with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and an efficiency rating of 33 also to his name.
The Most Valuable Player of the Play-Ins will be announced on Friday.