It was an up-and-down season for Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. A series of losses forced a coaching change and a late surge was not enough to make it to the playoffs. Here's a look back at Baskonia's campaign.
Season in review: Bitci Baskonia-Vitoria Gasteiz
Biggest win
Baskonia struggled on the road early, losing eight of its first nine games away from Buesa Arena. The momentum changed in Round 17 when Baskonia visited FC Bayern Munich at Audi Dome. Baskonia's star guard Wade Baldwin played against his former team for the first time since leading Bayern to the 2021 EuroLeague Playoffs. He rose to the challenge with one of the best individual performances in the EuroLeague all season: 30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 33. That helped Baskonia claim a 76-81 road victory.
What if?
Baskonia finished the 2021-22 EuroLeague campaign in style, winning five of its last six games to rank ninth overall with 12-16 records. The run started in a makeup Round 20 game in which Baskonia defeated Anadolu Efes Istanbul 87-74 at home behind 20 points and 11 assists from Baldwin. It outscored Efes 51-31 in a brilliant second half. That was the first victory in a four-game winning streak in which Baskonia beat LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, ALBA Berlin and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Baskonia finished the season with a 96-79 home win against Zalgiris Kaunas. Before that, Baskonia went on an eight-game losing streak. If it had found its groove earlier, it would have been in the mix for a playoff spot.
He’s got next
Steven Enoch made the most out of his opportunity as Baskonia's starting center. The big guy surprised fans and media alike with some stunning performances. Enoch, a 2.08-meter, 25-year-old center, averaged 9.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in 32 games for an average PIR of 10.7 in less than 21 minutes per night. He had a PIR of 22 or better in six games, including a career-high 35 - with 22 points and 8 rebounds - against FC Barcelona at Palau Blaugrana. Fast, athletic and full of energy, Enoch was one of the most pleasant surprises in the competition this season.
Impressive numbers
Matt Costello needed time to adjust to a new level of competition but once he did - and Coach Neven Spahija switched him from power forward to center, Costello became a critical contributor at both ends. He played a big role in Baskonia's late surge, averaging 11.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and a PIR of 16.9 in his team's last eight games. Costello had season averages of 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and a PIR of 11.7 in his first EuroLeague season. Expect Costello to do even better next season as he turns 29 in August and is right at the prime of his career.