He only signed for the club a few days ago and had trained with his new teammates just twice before playing in Round 23.
Amine Noua enjoyed a perfect debut in Fenerbahce’s win over Virtus
Article
5 Mins read
Amine Noua has had quite the week.
On Monday, he left Italian side Derthona Basket and signed for a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouse in Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. On Tuesday, he had his first practice with his new teammates. And on Thursday, having taken part in just two practices, he made a key impact as Fenerbahce beat Virtus Segafredo Bologna 88-75 in Round 23.
On the night, Noua had 9 points on perfect shooting, going 3-for-3 on two-pointers and 1-for-1 from deep, in addition to recording 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 0 turnovers in 21:14 minutes on the floor. It was a very solid contribution – and it was very much needed.
After all, Fenerbahce had star forwards Nigel Hayes-Davis and Dyshawn Pierre both watching on from the bleachers against Virtus as they were absent due to injury, while that was the same story Nate Sestina, Tarik Biberovic, Metecan Birsen and youngster Hamza Mestoglu. In short, Fenerbahce is dealing with an injury crisis at the forward positions and needed reinforcements.
Noua’s big plays in the second half
But, Noua answered the call and came up big in Round 23, especially in the second half, with some plays that helped swing the momentum of the contest. He showed his hustle by almost diving into the first row to keep the ball inbounds early in the third quarter, before having a huge put-back dunk that almost took the roof off Ulker Sports and Events Hall.
Midway through the third, the 26-year-old blocked Achille Polonara under Fenerbahce’s rim with the score 60-49 in the hosts’ favor. Next up, Nick Calathes saw Noua on his way to the rim and picked him out for a highlight-reel alley-oop dunk, which put Fenerbahce 64-49 ahead.
He wasn’t done there, though. In the fourth, with Virtus having shown signs of a miraculous comeback, Noua drained a corner three-pointer to reestablish his team’s 15-point advantage with 3 minutes to go. Finally, Noua showed that he was still dialed in by blocking Iffe Lundberg’s layup against the backboard when there was 2:09 minutes on the clock and Fenerbahce was ahead by 16 points, 86-80.
A standing ovation from the crowd
When the French forward was called for his fifth and final foul with 1:50 left, he received a standing ovation from the fans as he made his way back to the bench. Noua had been parachuted in to provide an extra body for Saras Jasikevicius’s squad, but he ended up having a telling impact on a game that could have big consequences come the end of the regular season.
“I tried to play with energy, give my all and play in the right way, like Coach wants,” Noua admitted in the locker room after the game. “First of all on defense, try not to make mistakes. And on offense, take all the opportunities that I am given. It was great for me, it was great to win, and I really appreciate how the team got me involved. I just want to keep going, keep working as a team and keep winning games.”
Now in his fourth EuroLeague season, having previously played at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2022-23 campaigns, Noua finds himself on a one-month contract at Fenerbahce. Yet, if his performance against Virtus is anything to go by, the club’s management could well think longer term about a talent with experience on the edge of his prime.
“In practice, you already know that he understands everything,” an impressed Jasikevicius said in the post-game flash interview. He then elaborated on his comments in the post-game press conference:
"The first impression of him was excellent off the court. A big professional. He had just two good practices [before playing against Virtus]; it's not easy. He was totally thrown into the fire, but he didn't leave the team context, the team picture. Even in practices, he immediately looked good. [He's] very solid and understands the situations that we're asking from him, so he's exactly what we needed at this point of the season."
A reunion in Round 24
Curiously, Fenerbahce’s next EuroLeague game is on the road at ASVEL next Tuesday, so Noua already has a chance to come up against his former employer. Two tough road games follow after that as Fenerbahce travel to take on AS Monaco next Friday and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens the Friday after that. So, it may be a little while before he gets to experience a EuroLeague atmosphere at Ulker Sports and Events Hall, but he was blown away by the passion the fans showed in Round 23.
“I played here when I was at ASVEL and you couldn’t hear anything on that court. It’s crazy,” he stressed. “To be here in front of all these fans, it’s one of the best feelings. When you play in front of these supporters, you’ve got all of their energy and you have to give everything for them because they deserve it.”
Well, on Thursday night, Noua deserved everything that he got: a standing ovation and, most importantly, a debut win.