Bonzie Colson declares love for Kattash, names Final Four picks & most tough opponent / News - Basketnews.com

Bonzie Colson takes stock of the EuroLeague regular season, predicts the Final Four lineup, and the two teams he considers the most difficult to beat in the competition.

Credit: Sonia Canada/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Europe Credit Sonia Canada/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Europe

Born in Washington and raised in Rhode Island, Bonzie Colson attracted the attention of college scouts more for his huge wing span (2.12 m.) and his height (1.98), and less for the importance of his performances.

Points this season

47%83,6Points made:83,6Accuracy:47,1%Place in standings:6Record max:111Record min:65Best scorer:Wade Baldwin IVTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The scholarship that Notre Dame gave him, however, did not go to waste because Colson proved to be a promising freshman, while in his 4-year tenure, he became one of the team's leading men and the best rebounder in the ACC region, among players who did not exceed 2 meters in height.

His remarkable college career was not enough for him to be selected in the 2018 NBA draft. Nevertheless, the Milwaukee Bucks gave him one of their two-way contracts in January 2019.

After three seasons in Turkey with Darussafaka and Karsiyaka and France (with Strasbourg), Colson got his first taste of EuroLeague competition with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

The American rookie who earned French league MVP honors in 2021 and was also the BCL's top scorer, has grown into an invaluable tool for coach Oded Kattash, averaging 10,9 points and 5,7 rebounds per contest.

"I love him because he gives a different dynamic to our game," Colson told Gazzetta's Antonis Kalkavouras.

"He is as intrusive as he needs to be, even if sometimes he will interrupt practice and enter the court to show himself that he wants us to run a certain system. He's earned the respect of all of us, not just because of the way he's been coaching, but also for being a great point guard.

I've been looking him up on YouTube and I've seen a lot of videos from the time he was playing. Too bad he got injured and quit early," the 29-year-old forward told the Greek outlet.

Colson is aware of the fact that the last time Maccabi reached a Final Four and won the title was 9 years ago in Milan.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv / Schedule

AS Monaco Maccabi Playtika Tel AvivTue18:15 AS Monaco Maccabi Playtika Tel AvivThu18:15

"I understood that from the first moment I came here," he said.

"Both the people of the team and the environment around us, and of course the fans, have very high demands and everyone says that we can't have another year without a Final Four. Personally, all this pressure does not bother me at all. I am very pleased to be part of a club that has raised the bar and I am committed to helping restore Maccabi's prestige," Colson added.

According to the former NBA player, that can be achieved if Maccabi win the Israeli league and get to the EuroLeague Final Four.

"We are a team built from scratch, with 10 new players and we had to take some time to build chemistry. But now we are in a good momentum, we finished the regular season strong, and we want to continue like that in the playoffs against Monaco."

Colson was asked about Olympiacos Piraeus, who won the EuroLeague regular season but had a hard time against Maccabi in both games, where the two teams split wins.

"They are one of the most difficult teams in Europe. They have great fans, a tough home court, and a great tradition in European basketball, but the most important thing is that they got the most complete roster," Colson thinks of the Greek side.

"Two high-level point guards, who complement each other like [Thomas] Walkup and [Kostas] Sloukas, two forwards in [Sasha] Vezenkov who can score in every way and [Kostas] Papanikolaou who's versatile, plus the experience and skill of coach [Giorgos] Bartzokas.

I think they have the full package, they showed great consistency for most of the season, so they deservedly took first place," Colson argued.

Having played in all 34 games of the regular season, Colson named his most difficult opponent at the individual and also the team level.

"Real Madrid because they have the biggest size and at the same time high quality in all positions," the American forward responded.

"[Edy] Tavares is a huge 'tree' inside the paint, and his 'branches' are blocking the view to the basket. If you also take into account the shooters they have in the perimeter, then it's not hard to understand why I value them as much as Olympiacos."

Asked about theteams he thinks will travel to Kaunas for the Final Four, Maccabi's rookie was firm:

"Maccabi, Olympiacos, Real Madrid and Barcelona."

Read more: Bonzie Colson turns down Jordan for possibility to represent Cape Verde Four reasons why Monaco vs. Maccabi is a must-watch playoff matchup Like what we are doing? You can express your gratitude here.