The Spanish side got back to winning ways with a dominant performance against Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Andrews, Chery stood out as Joventut overcame absences
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Joventut Badalona came into Tuesday night’s game against Veolia Towers Hamburg knowing that the absences of important players such as Andres Feliz, Chinanu Onuaku, Vladimir Brodziansky and Ante Tomic could affect the team and prove costly.
The hosts therefore had to lean on the experienced duo of Andrew Andrews and Deshaun Thomas, as well as new signing Kenny Chery. Fortunately for Joventut head coach Carles Duran, all three veterans ended up delivering in a dominant 108-76 win.
Pure dominance from Andrews
Andrews scored 22 points in the first half and finished the game with a season-high 33 after making 4-of-8 two-pointers, 5-of-8 triples and a perfect 10-of-10 free throws to go with his 4 assists and 7 fouls drawn for an extraordinary PIR of 42.
“We were ready to come out and fight,” Andrews stated after the game. “As you know, we’ve been suffering a lot of injuries and the last couple of games were not the best for us. So, coming out and fighting was more important than even getting the win.”
An impressive debut by Chery
Andrews produced a potential MVP-of-the-round performance on Tuesday night, but he had some much-needed help from Chery. Despite barely having time to gel with his new teammates, the new Joventut addition did a good job off the bench as he looked to fill Feliz’s shoes.
Chery paired his 12 points with 4 assists in less than 19 minutes on the floor, but most importantly he showcased his leadership skills and earned applause from the crowd for it. The 31-year-old guard gave a short, motivational speech to the starters before tipoff and constantly offered advice to his younger teammates, who were called upon to step up against Hamburg.
“We were coming off back-to-back defeats,” Coach Duran commented in the post-game press conference. “Of course, injuries hurt us. Seeing important players sitting out unbalances the team, but at the same time the team has taken a step forward.
“I think [Chery] played very well; he's only done one training session with the team. He's a very joyful guy, something we probably needed and I'm happy for him. He has come to a team that has lost some games and he has transmitted a joy, an excitement that we needed.”
Thomas, who averaged a team-high 16.8 points heading into the game, came to the fore again, netting 16 points against Hamburg to help his team secure a win that saw Joventut improve to 3-2.
Next week, Joventut will take on a strong London Lions side as it looks to build on Tuesday’s morale-boosting victory. By then, Chery will have participated in more training sessions with his new teammates and some of the absentees could be fit to return to action.