The Georgian forward is thriving in his role as a leader
Virtus keeps building momentum with Bayern win – and Toko Shengelia key to it all
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Regular Season
Round 22 of 34
Group Regular Season
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When you think of Virtus Segafredo Bologna in recent years, Toko Shengelia is one of the first players that comes to mind. On Friday night, he showed why with a stellar performance in a 72-82 win at FC Bayern Munich which keeps the Italian side’s faint play-in hopes alive.
Shengelia did a bit of everything for Virtus, posting 20 points, 6 rebounds, a season-high 6 assists and a joint season-best 2 blocks, which gave him 30 PIR, his best mark since Round 13 of last season. Despite his impressive individual display, he didn’t want any of the praise himself.
“I’m not the man of the match, I’m the player of the team of the match,” he told EuroLeague TV afterward.
Now 33 years old, the Georgian is one of the clear leaders at Virtus, yet he was appearing in just his third game since Dusko Ivanovic – his former coach at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz – replaced Luca Banchi in Bologna, having been out with an ulcer issue between Rounds 16 and 20.
“It was not easy [to play against Bayern], to be honest. I had just one full practice with the team,” Shengelia stated. “It’s not easy for me, it’s not easy for the coaches to give me the trust, but I want to thank them for this and thank my teammate for the trust as well. I’m out there, tired or not, and I’m trying to do my best. I’m really happy tonight that we got the win.”
This victory, Virtus’s fifth in eight games under Coach Ivanovic, was also notable as the Italian outfit had suffered three straight road defeats after winning at Baskonia in the Montenegrin’s first game in charge back on December 12.
Virtus remains in 16th position in the standings with a 7-15 record, yet with Shengelia showing that he is still among the best power forwards in Europe, the Black V’s supporters can still dream. Bayern currently occupies 10th spot, the final place for the play-in, with a 12-10 mark, so Virtus will be looking to use this Round 22 as momentum and have a strong finish to the season.