The Frenchman reminded everyone of his quality in a triumph over Milan
Nando De Colo returned in style to lead ASVEL to big home victory
While all the chat in recent weeks and months has been about Mike James and the race to become the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer, Nando De Colo has had to watch on while dealing with an injury.
The Frenchman had been in second spot ever since passing Juan Carlos Navarro, but a two-and-a-half-month spell on the sidelines allowed James to surpass him, with the American now 11 points behind Vassilis Spanoulis in first.
De Colo’s impact at ASVEL
De Colo made his return to action in Round 27 against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, having last featured in Round 15 against the same opponent, but he revealed how he was still helping his LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne teammates during his most recent knock.
“I always helped the team when I was out, but it’s obviously easier when you are on the court,” De Colo said after ASVEL’s 81-77 win over Milan on Friday night. “Right now, it is a good moment to stick together and to finish the season strong. We had a lot of ups and downs this season and for me it’s great to be back.”
De Colo was not included in the starting five against Milan, but as soon as he stepped on the court he demonstrated with his trademark professionalism that he would fight for every possession. The two-time EuroLeague winner finished the game with 13 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds. He also recorded 4 steals to reach a total of 323 in his career. In fact, only five players have registered more steals in the history of the competition.
History at LDLC Arena
The two ASVEL veterans, De Colo and Joffrey Lauvergne, combined for 30 points to lead their team to a first-ever victory at LDLC Arena.
“It was really important for us to win tonight,” De Colo added. “At last, we’ve got our first win at this arena. I’m sure you can imagine how good the feeling is now for us and also for the fans.”
ASVEL had previously lost all its first six games at their new arena, including a double-overtime defeat to FC Bayern Munich, as well as a narrow 76-77 loss to EuroLeague leader Real Madrid.
“I told the guys in the locker room that they’ve just made history and that this win means that they will be remembered as the first team to ever get a win at LDLC Arena,” an excited head coach Pierric Poupet noted during the post-game press conference.
After scoring 13 against Milan, De Colo currently ranks third in the all-time scorers list with 4,396 points. James is second with 4,444 points and EuroLeague legend Vassilis Spanoulis sits atop the rankings with 4,455.
While James is expected to pass the former Olympiacos Piraeus captain in the next few games, De Colo proved on Friday night that the race for the top spot is on. With seven games to go until the end of the season, the ASVEL guard will have the opportunity to overtake Spanoulis this term and, as he showed on Friday night, he’s still got plenty left in the tank.