The EuroCup rookie was a key cog in Paris’s success, especially in the postseason

Tribute to the Champs: Mikael Jantunen

A transfer that perhaps went under the radar at Paris Basketball bringing in power forward [Mikael Jantunen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mikael-jantunen/012613/) from Italian side Treviso, with the Finnish power forward able to join up with his fellow compatriot, head coach Tuomas Iisalo.

Together, the two Finns took the BKT EuroCup by storm en route to a magical season that saw Paris dominate the competition and end the campaign as the champion. The 24-year-old Jantunen made an instant impression from day one, averaging 11.8 points through his first five games and netting at least 12 points in four of those five contests. In fact, his 15-point game against Prometey Slobozhanske in Round 5 was his best scoring night in the regular season.

Mikael Jantunen Top Plays from 10/01/2023 to 05/10/2024

It wasn’t just with scoring that Jantunen was making an impact. His rebounding and tenacity on the defensive end – he averaged 4.4 boards and 2.0 steals per game between Rounds 1 and 5 – made him a valuable piece for Coach Iisalo off the bat. While Jantunen’s numbers dropped over the next 10 games, he started to pick things up again before the playoffs, averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in the final three fixtures of the regular season.

Once in the playoffs, Jantunen certainly played his part. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per night in the postseason, demonstrating his all-around game, and ended the campaign in style by scoring 15 points – his joint career high – as Paris won Game 2 of the EuroCup Finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse to become the 2023-24 champion.

When the buzzer sounded on the final game of the BKT EuroCup season, Sebastian Herrera became the first Chilean player to win the competition. The road from growing up in Chile to celebrating winning the EuroCup was as long as it sounds. Herrera's strong performance with his national team at the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Under-18 World Tournament led to a professional contract in Germany with TBB Trier. From there he continued to Crailsheim Merlins, EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Telekom Baskets Bonn. He played for Coach Tuomas Iisalo at Crailsheim and Bonn and they both relocated to the French capital to play for Paris Basketball last summer. Accordingly, Herrera has been with Coach Iisalo longer than any other player and knows his brand of basketball as well as anyone.

Sebastian Herrera became the first Chilean player to win the BKT EuroCup title.

A tribute to the champs Sebastian Herrera, Paris

It shouldn't be a surprise then that their mutual trust paid off in the playoffs. In 12 regular season games, Herrera had off-the-charts efficiency, amassing 26 assists and just 1 turnover. On the other hand, he averaged just 5.1 points and a PIR of 5.2. After being unavailable in the quarterfinals, Herrera was Paris's secret weapon in the most important games, averaging 10.5 points in the semifinals against the London Lions and 9.0 points in the finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. He shot the ball well, making 9 of 17 three-pointers (52.9% 3FG) in the semifinals and finals. When the dust settled, Herrera had made history and was celebrating on top of the podium wrapped in a Chilean flag.

Tribute to the champs: Sebastian Herrera

Tribute to the Champs: Enzo Shahrvin

Paris Basketball has made it its mission to sign the best young talent in France, and promising big man Enzo Shahrvin certainly fit that bill. He had to wait a little while before he made his debut, but he certainly made a good impact in his rookie season in the BKT EuroCup, which finished with him lifting the trophy.

Shahrvin first saw game time in Round 3 as he played 4:04 minutes in a 69-105 blowout win at Veolia Towers Hamburg, in which he had 2 points, 4 rebounds – including 2 on the offensive end – and 1 steal. His next appearance wasn’t until Round 7 as Paris beat Joventut Badalona 94-101 in overtime, with the big man posting 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 8:53 minutes on the floor. Despite his limited action, Shahrvin was quickly making a name for himself.

For the first time in his young career, Shahrvin played back-to-back EuroCup games by appearing in Round 8 at home to Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, but he finished scoreless in a 63-68 defeat – Paris’s only loss in the entire season. Nevertheless, he grabbed 3 rebounds and had 1 steal in 6:16 minutes. Then, in Round 9, he had another 4-point, 4-rebound game in 8:12 minutes as his squad beat Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 77-93. Shahrvin also had 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks that night.

The best plays of Paris Basketball big man Enzo Shahrvin in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season.

Shahrvin's top plays in 2023-24

The next time that Shahrvin would play after that was in Round 14, but he then featured in every game until the end of the regular season. His minutes increased in each contest, too. In Round 15, the 21-year-old grabbed a career-high 7 rebounds in 12:41 minutes as Paris defeated Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 86-104, before having his best scoring performance in Round 16 by netting 12 points in 14:04 minutes during an 89-82 win against Joventut. Shahrvin closed the regular season by posting 8 points in each of his last two games, which came in victories against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul and Cedevita. In that Cedevita triumph, Shahrvin set a new career high in rebounds by pulling down 11. He didn’t play in the EuroCup Playoffs.

As he prepares to get a taste of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for the first time, Shahrvin will be hoping to build on his strong end to the EuroCup Regular Season and show fans what he can do in Europe’s premier club basketball competition.

The 21-year-old had some impressive nights in his rookie EuroCup campaign

Valencia Basket retained the services of its top performer for two more seasons by signing forward Semi Ojeleye to a contract extension, the club announced Wednesday. 

Valencia pens Semi Ojeleye to an extension through 2026

Valencia Basket retained the services of its top performer for two more seasons by signing forward [Semi Ojeleye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/semi-ojeleye/011982/) to a contract extension, the club announced Wednesday. Ojeleye (1.98 meters, 29 years old) joined the club last summer and posted 13.3 points and 4.4 rebounds over 27 EuroLeague games. He ranked eighth in the league in three-point accuracy at 47.1% and was 17th in scoring. This season was his second in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games after Ojeleye debuted with Virtus Segafredo Bologna the year before.

Semi Ojeleye's best plays from the 2023-24 season

Before entering the EuroLeague, Ojeleye played five seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers. He helped Boston reach the conference finals in both 2018 and 2020. Ojeleye played college basketball at Duke and Southern Methodist University. He was the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2017 when he led SMU to win the conference tournament. He helped Virtus reach the Italian League and the Italian Cup finals in his lone season there.

<center> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EstamosDandoVolteretas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EstamosDandoVolteretas</a> 🤸‍♂️<br><br>Cas 👉 <a href="https://twitter.com/semi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@semi</a> Ojeleye seguirá siendo taronja hasta 2026<a href="https://t.co/mlnPQO6pnh">https://t.co/mlnPQO6pnh</a><br><br>Val 👉 Semi Ojeleye continuarà sent taronja fins a 2026<a href="https://t.co/QV6oJM0sJR">https://t.co/QV6oJM0sJR</a><br><br>Eng 👉 Semi Ojeleye will stay as Taronja player until 2026<a href="https://t.co/rWfLgla2Bh">https://t.co/rWfLgla2Bh</a> <a href="https://t.co/bmAoFrOFdZ">pic.twitter.com/bmAoFrOFdZ</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1788171149689360710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

More on Semi Ojeleye

The forward led the club in scoring and PIR this season

The 26-year-old was a prime example of Paris's consistency throughout the 2023-24 season

Tribute to the Champs: Tyson Ward

[Tyson Ward](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tyson-ward/012610/) was one of seven men who joined Paris Basketball from German side Telekom Baskets Bonn last summer, alongside head coach Tuomas Iisalo and five teammates, and he needed no time to start making an impact.

The BKT EuroCup rookie scored in double figures in five of the first seven rounds and went on to have a great regular season, averaging 12.0 points on 40.5% three-point shooting and 4.3 rebounds.

During the playoffs, despite had some struggles from long range, Ward continued to be a key cog in his team's success. He played 25:25 minutes per night during five playoff games, the second most on the team, and contributed averages of 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds.

The Paris swingman delighted fans throughout the campaign with his rim-rocking dunks as he filled up the highlight reels. Ward also demonstrated his versatility, especially in big games against fellow contenders, like when he pulled down 9 rebounds in a road win over Joventut Badalona or dished 7 assists in a road triumph at Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.

Tyson Ward finished the season as team's fourth-best scorer (11.0 ppg.), third-best rebounder (4.1 rpg.) and also third best in steals (1.2 spg.). All those facts speak volumes of how impactful Ward was for the success of Paris, from the season opener all the way to lifting the trophy at season's end.

Tribute to the champs: Tyson Ward

More than anything else, however, Ward was a prime example of Paris's consistency during the club’s trophy-winning campaign. The 26-year-old did not have one or two great games that boosted his stats. Rather, he scored in double figures in 14 of his 23 appearances, but never more than 20 points. He also had a double-digit PIR in 16 games, but his PIR was 20 or more just three times. Ward was one of three Paris players who started in all 23 games this season and he was second on the team in minutes played, only behind EuroCup MVP T.J. Shorts.

When all was said and done, Ward finished the year as his squad’s fourth-best scorer (11.0 ppg.), third-best rebounder (4.1 rpg.) and also third best in steals (1.2 spg.). All those facts speak volumes about how impactful Ward was for a successful Paris team – from the season opener all the way to lifting the trophy at the season's end.

Tribute to the Champs: Gauthier Denis

Few players could feel the sense of triumph when Paris Basketball won the BKT EuroCup quite the way [Gauthier Denis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/gauthier-denis/011887/) could. The longest-serving member of the club, Denis has been with Paris since it embarked on its project in 2018. He spent three seasons with Paris in the French second division and is the lone holdover from that period. A double-digit scorer in previous seasons, Denis has more recently taken on the role of a three-point marksman, whose quick release and great accuracy make him a constant threat. This season, 30 of his 32 shots taken were from behind the arc!

Gauthier Denis 2023-24 highlights

In the club’s EuroCup premier in 2022-23, Denis was just a free-throw shy of the 50-40-90 club, hitting exactly on the two- and three-point shooting numbers while making 26 of 29 from the line (89.7%). His numbers dipped from 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 22:42 minutes as a part-time starter last season to 3.2 points in 9 minutes over 10 games this season. Nevertheless, he remained an experienced voice in the locker room, even when he missed the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs due to injury. Denis made multiple threes in three games this season, including 3 on opening night against Wolves Vilnius. Paris was +18 with Denis on the floor this season, underlying the positive impact he has had in the French capital over the last six years. 

Tribute to the champs: Nadir Hifi

Few players in competition history had his combination of talent, self-confidence, deep range and character at such a young age. At age 21, [Nadir Hifi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/nadir-hifi/012640/) was one of Paris's scoring leaders since the start of the season. Hifi was chosen to the All-EuroCup second team and the competition's head coaches voted him as the Rising Star award runner-up. Four years ago, Hifi was still playing in the French fourth division. He went on to play for ESSM Le Portel Cote d'Opale in the French elite, staying there for three seasons and developing his flashy, unique playing style. Once he joined Paris, Hifi was ready to surprise the entire competition.

At age 21, Nadir Hifi was one of Paris's scoring leaders since the start of the season. Hifi was chosen to the All-EuroCup second team and the competition's head coaches voted him as the Rising Star award runner-up.

A tribute to the champs: Nadir Hifi, Paris

Hifi ranked fourth in scoring (16.7 ppg.) and second in three-pointers made (53) in his first season in the competition, getting 20 points or more seven times. He had some very brilliant moments throughout the regular season, scoring 27 points against Joventut Badalona in just his seventh game in the competition, and 26 against the London Lions. Hifi delivered in critical games against these teams, too, scoring 15 points in the quarterfinals against Joventut, and averaging 17.5 in the semifinals against London. Once in the finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, he averaged 13.5 points per game to be his team's second top scorer. His cool looks and fearless playing style have made him a fan favorite in Paris!

The new EuroCup champs never lost rhythm all season when their spark plug came in at point guard.

 Tribute to the champs: Mehdy Ngouama 

Keeping up a record-breaking offensive pace when joining the game from the bench is no easy task, but Paris Basketball point guard [Mehdy Ngouama](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mehdy-ngouama/009556/) didn't miss a beat in meeting that challenge this season for the BKT EuroCup champions.

Ngouama had the difficult role of subbing for the season-long MVP of the competition, TJ Shorts, but he was able to keep up the pressure on opposing defenses again and again with his lightning-quick first step and his ability to find teammates with solid passes.

Mehdy Ngouama Top Plays of the Playoffs and Regular Season

Tribute to the Champs: Mehdy Ngouama, Paris Basketball

Ngouama appeared in 19 of Paris's 23 games, including ever one in the postseason, coming off the bench every time to take over the floor generalship duties. He finished the season having averaged 6.4 points, 2.2 assists and a 4.9 PIR in just over 13 minutes per game. His role was to keep the heat on opponents, and if anything, he sped up Paris's record-setting 97.0-point-per game offense when he was on the floor.

Whether racing on a fastbreak, skipping past defenders, or dishing out dimes, Ngouama was at one with the Paris style and filled in all the blanks possible on the way to the trophy!

Tribute to the champs: Paris Basketball

Tribute to the champs: Mehdy Ngouama

A veteran with a very specific role filled it with perfection on the way to the EuroCup title.

Tribute to the champs: Michael Kessens

As many of his Paris Basketball teammates, Michael Kessens made his BKT EuroCup debut this season and finished it in the best way possible: celebrating with his teammates on top of the podium.

 

Kessens and Bandja Sy played key veteran roles on a young roster. After finishing his college career, Kessens went on to play for several German teams, such as Eisbaeren Bremenhaven, Rasta Vechta, Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt and Telekom Baskets Bonn, where he met some of his current teammates, as well as head coach Tuomas Iisalo. This season in Paris, Kessens played a really important role off the bench as Leon Kratzer's backup, offering toughness, rebounds and effectiveness in the paint.

Michael Kessens was always ready when Coach Iisalo called his number. He had 8 points and 3 rebounds in the quarterfinals against Joventut Badalona and averaged 3.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and a PIR of 6.0 in the finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse.

A tribute to the champs: Michael Kessens, Paris

Indeed, Kessens is one of the six players that signed for Paris this season and played for Coach Iisalo in the 2022-23 campaign at Bonn. Kessens embraced his back-up role and executed it close to perfection, averaging 4.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and a PIR of 4.2 in 10 regular season games.

 

Come the postseason, Kessens was always ready when Coach Iisalo called his number. He had 8 points and 3 rebounds in the quarterfinals against Joventut Badalona and averaged 3.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and a PIR of 6.0 in the finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. No rebounder was as efficient as Kessens led the finals with 12.9 rebounds per 40 minutes.

 

He was an important piece of the puzzle and got his reward by lifting the EuroCup trophy!  