The 28-year old guard shined in his first game for the Turkish giant, which showed early title credentials
Wade Baldwin pulled all the strings as new-look Fenerbahce sent a message to its rivals
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Regular Season
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A revamped Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul made a statement of intent in the opening Round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague when it earned an impressive 82-71 win over perennial rival Olympiacos Piraeus on the back of inspired performances from new arrivals. Among half a dozen reinforcements who joined the Turkish team during the off season, versatile guard Wade Baldwin stood out with a clinical performance on his debut for Fenerbahce.
Fittingly, Baldwin shined against one of his former clubs as he racked up 19 points, 7 assists and 5 boards, having played at Olympiacos in the 2019-2020 season before spells with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, FC Bayern Munich and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.
Showing the maturity of a team leader, Baldwin turned on the heat in the second half with trademark mid-range shots off the dribble after being the facilitator in the opening two quarters, when he dished out assists like confetti.
Yet, Baldwin humbly credited one of the team’s stalwarts, Nigel Hayes-Davis, as the forward’s superb fourth-quarter performance allowed Fenerbahce to force Olympiacos into submission after a titanic tussle.
“Nigel closed it out for us. He was a bit quiet throughout the game and in the fourth quarter he turned it on,” Baldwin told EuroLeague TV after the game. “A very important win in front of our home crowd, it was my first experience as a Fenerbahce player,” he added.
Baldwin also praised his teammates, who found another gear after Fenerbahce trailed 32-36 at halftime in the wake of aggressive defense from Olympiacos.
“I just wanted to give my 100 percent effort at both ends of the floor and I think I achieved that,” he stated. “The whole team achieved that, we played very hard today. We took better care of the ball in the second half, we found our spots and a little bit of weakness in their defense.”
New-look teams usually take time to gel but it seems Fenerbahce head coach Saras Jasikevicius has hit the ground running in assembling a outfit which already looks capable of challenging for its second EuroLeague title, having won its maiden trophy in 2017.
Forward Bonzie Colson, who joined the club alongside Baldwin from Maccabi, made a telling contribution with 10 points and 9 boards, while towering center Boban Marjanovic used his decade-long experience in the NBA to good effect with 8 points and 4 rebounds.
Last but not least, veteran swingman Nicolo Melli also played a big part at the start of his second stint with Fenerbahce, posting 5 points and 7 boards after he came off the bench.
Colson quickly pointed out that Fenerbahce needs to keep working hard in order to maximize its potentials in what should be an enthralling season in Europe’s premier club competition.
“Olympiacos applied great pressure up and down the floor but we stuck to our principles, he said. “We took what their defense gave us and we’ve now got to build on our first win of the season. “We knew we had to come out strong in the third quarter and we hit some shots, so it was a great team win for us.”
Game Videos
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In his post-game comments, Jasikevicius rued a serious injury to guard Scottie Wilbekin, as it turned out to be a torn knee ligament after the scan, while praising his team for perseverance.
“At this point you just need to take wins and not lose players,” said the Lithuanian tactician. “Scottie’s health is much more important now than the win but it’s great to beat such a good team in the opening game of the season.
“Olympiacos is a fantastic team, they know exactly how to play and what they are doing. It’s almost impossible to knock them out of their stride but ultimately we eked it out.”
