The instant-offense guard was at his best in the biggest games of the season
Tribute to the Champs: Antonio Blakeney
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Some say that "timing is everything". For Antonio Blakeney in the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup, that was certainly the case.
The guard had his best stretch of the season when it mattered most, playing a decisive role for Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv in the semifinals and the finals to lead the club to glory. Blakeney had three of his four best-scoring games all season in the final stretch with 22 points in Game 2 of the semifinals, 32 in Game 3 and 27 in the deciding game of the finals. He tied for the finals lead in scoring (22.0 ppg.), steals (1.5 spg.) and PIR (23.5).
Scoring in bunches is what Blakeney does best and that is exactly what he did for Hapoel in the finals. In the series opener, he scored 10 of his 17 points in the first quarter and then in Game 2 he erupted for 18 points in the third quarter.
Blakeney was a mid-season addition, who debuted in the EuroCup in Round 7. He found his rhythm during a stretch between Rounds 10 and 14 when he averaged 16.2 points on 52.2% three-point shooting, but then cooled off and did not score at all in three of his next four appearances. However, Coach Dimitris Itoudis encouraged him to work harder and when the playoffs arrived, Blakeney was ready for primetime. He finished the season averaging 13.4 points per game and ranked second in the EuroCup in scoring on a per-minute basis with an average of 26.7 points over 40 minutes. And now, for the first time in his professional career, Blakeney is a champion, too.