The Turkish team’s recent signing made another big contribution to down Real Madrid
Errick McCollum continued making his mark with Fenerbahce
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 26 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has been badly hit by backcourt injuries so far this season, incurring the major blow of a long-term absence for shooting star Scottie Wilbekin just 2 minutes into the campaign and also seeing Wade Baldwin only able to make 13 appearances – most recently in Round 16 at FC Barcelona in December.
But the silver lining to emerge from that injury cloud has been the arrival of the vastly experienced Errick McCollum, who was added to Sarunas Jasikevicius’s roster in January to provide some backcourt depth and has immediately proved himself to be a EuroLeague-ready performer.
In Thursday’s showdown with Real Madrid, McCollum made his clearest statement yet that he is ready to play a key role in Fenerbahce’s quest for title glory, netting 19 points and providing the foundations for an impressive 78-67 victory which allows his team to head into the break on a high.
McCollum's early contributions were particularly important. While everyone around him was missing, missing and missing again during an extraordinarily slow start to the action – featuring no points at all for nearly 4 minutes – the guard bucked the trend by repeatedly finding his range. After being introduced with the game scoreless, he netted the game’s first three-pointer 61 seconds later, added another 30 seconds after that and soon scored again to take his personal tally to 8 points in a 10-4 lead.
He returned with similar effect in the second quarter, saving his most impressive moment for the halftime buzzer as he drove into the paint before finding fancy footwork to create space for a classy layup, drawing appreciative oohs and aahs from the home fans.
After the game, the veteran played down his early scoring exploits as he told EuroLeague TV: “I‘m a shot-maker, I’m a scorer, and I could see at that moment they needed a spark. So I tried to be really aggressive. Coach put me in a good situation, my teammates believe in me, and I just did what I do.”
Jasikevicius was much more effusive, praising McCollum’s transition to his new team as he said: “For him, it’s very easy to come in the middle of a season. He’s seen all kinds of coaches, all kinds of systems, he’s a very outgoing person, so he fit into the locker room immediately with the guys, and he’s seen everything already. He’s been a great addition, no question.”
Game Videos
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Errick McCollum: 'I’m a shot-maker'
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McCollum’s fancy footwork! Motorola Magic Moment
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Hayes-Davis with an audacious triple! Motorola Magic Moment
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Colson from behind the backboard! Motorola Magic Moment
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Marko Guduric: 'Game of the season'
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Biberovic dunks in transition! Motorola Magic Moment
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- 02:50
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Colson's wild put-back slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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Mario Hezonja: 'This was the most important game of the year for us'
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Campazzo's acrobatic layup! Motorola Magic Moment
- 01:09
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Sertac Sanli: 'Everybody needed a game like this'
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Marko Guduric: 'It's good to start the new year with a win'
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Sanli bends the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 02:35
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Mario Hezonja: 'I am lucky to be in a locker room with Sergio Llull'
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Such success at this level has been a long time coming for McCollum, who first appeared in European competition with Greek team Panionios in the 2013-14 EuroCup. He made a major impression in the same competition with Galatasaray, winning both the title and the MVP award in 2016, earning a step up to the EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes Istanbul for a solid 2017-18 season. McCollum’s nomadic existence continued with spells at Russian teams UNICS Kazan, Khimki Moscow and Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, before returning to Turkiye with Pinar Karsiyaka.
It seemed that his time in the continent’s elite competition was already over, but then came Fenerbahce’s injury crisis and the subsequent mid-season return to Istanbul, where he has now represented three different clubs.
And it’s fair to say that he has easily exceeded expectations, becoming far more than just a role player with a prominent role in a run of five wins out of six. During that time he has averaged 12.8 points, netting double digits in four consecutive games and also dishing 3 assists in each of the last three.
Wilbekin and Baldwin are major losses…but Fenerbahce has found a significant gain with the arrival of McCollum, who is fast becoming one of the best mid-season signings in EuroLeague history.