VILNIUS (Lithuania) - Jerrick Harding has always been one of them. One of those scoring torches who have been scouted by the opponents for years, even in high school.
At the end of the day, he had 103 points once in Wichita over three games during the 2016 Kansas Class 6A state high school tournament, breaking a 37-year-old State record.
That wasn't enough for him to receive any attention from the main colleges in his State, Wichita State and Kansas State.
Weber State believed in him, and they found a gem who reminded them of Damian Lillard's days on campus.
Actually, he even overtook the Portland Trail Blazers superstar on Weber State's All-Time Leading Scorers list, standing on top with 2.247 overall points in four seasons. He reached the peak of it in February 2020.
Only eight months later, he turned into ERA Nymburk's leading scorer against AEK BC in the Quarter-Finals of the 2019-20 Basketball Champions League Final Eight with a 16-point losing effort.
He was born to be a scorer.
Nymburk realized it first when he gradually emerged as one of the most interesting guards in the whole competition from 2020 to 2022, when he stood on top of the seasonal scoring list at 20.8 points per game with the Czech champs.
He entered the 2021-22 season with 22.8 points per encounter.
Then, they realized it by flashing forward to April 2026. In Game 1 of the Quarter-Finals in Season X, he had 19 points over 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, including the dagger that decided the game with 1:27 minutes left.
He began his BCL career going up against competition's scoring legends such as Tyrese Rice and Keith Langford, who were both on AEK's side in the Quarter-Final clash. And after Wednesday, he joined that type of club.
Following Game 1, he has now scored 702 points in the BCL, becoming the second‑fastest player in competition history to reach the 700‑point mark in 41 games, trailing only Kevin Punter (40).
Nymburk's head coach, Oren Amiel, was on the Czech team's bench that night, as he was in Rytas Arena this week in Vilnius.
"We recruited Jerrick from college in 2020. I'm very proud of his journey, and of the fact that we've been part of it as a club. But the credit is his, he's a great working-hard kid who's committed to basketball," he said.
"Tonight I felt on the other side what he gave to me so many times in the past. I wish him the best of luck, from next year or in the domestic league," he also shared in the post-game press conference.
Jerrick himself had peculiar feelings going up against the team that chose him six years ago, allowing him to shine on the European stage while nobody in the US really believed in his abilities.
It was a little weird out there because I’m playing my team against my old team. I was there for two years in Nymburk when I first started in Europe. Against the coach who was my coach at the time.
At the same time, he knew it wasn't going to be easy. He knows how tough Oren Amiel's Nymburk spend every minute on the court, having been with the team for quite some time.
"The way they play defense is a little bit unique, and I think we made a lot of mistakes overthinking. We'll watch film and get better; we will be sharper going into Game 2. We will get better," he followed in the presser.
"They're gonna be dogs, it's gonna be a dog fight. They won't want to go home and force it to Game 3. They were really aggressive tonight, and at their spot, they might be even more aggressive. They might hit more shots, being comfortable at home. We have to be ready for that," he also said.
They won't be alone. The Red Army will show up to push Rytas from Nymburk to Badalona, fulfilling the dream of stepping onto the stage of their first-ever BCL Final Four.
I'm hearing there's going to be a lot of our fans there, so I'm hoping that's the case.
Heading to Game 2 on the road in Czechia, he could cement his name in the BCL scoring legacy even more.
If playing at home gives him unstoppable vibes, feeling the support of the red-and-black crowd, being on the opposing side still lets him unleash his scoring capacities.
He has scored 20+ points in six of his last nine road games in the BCL; overall, he has put up 20+ points in nine road games in the BCL, a joint-high alongside Marcus Foster and J’Covan Brown.
Can coming back "home" to Nymburk turn into a dream sweep, advancing to the most anticipated stage of the season?
"I feel like the sky's the limit. We were at an ultimate low in the middle of the season; all the guys tried to stay positive and always had hope. The season can turn around like that," he snapped his fingers after Game 1.
"We just kept working, trying to improve, regardless of who was out, who was injured, who was new to the team. We just tried to stay professional and have hope. I feel like we can win a lot of games this year, and our goals remain the same."
On April 7 at 18:30 CET, Jerrick Harding will represent Rytas in one of the club's most important games since joining the BCL. He will do it where everything started. He will do it his way, the same as always.