Elite Gold further away than ever, weak Leuven Bears is no match for Kortrijk Spurs

Back to square one for Leuven Bears visiting Kortrijk Spurs. Last Tuesday’s big win against red lantern Okapi Aalst was not followed up in West Flanders. Kortrijk Spurs dominated the entire match and laid the foundation for the victory, especially in the first quarter (22-9). Leuven Bears defended weakly and was uninspired offensively. The new American Teddy Allen was not yet eligible to play and the second new American Codi Riley (19 points, 15 rebounds) managed a double-double in his second match for the Bears, but also finished poorly (8 out of 21). The American pocket duo Victor Bailey Jr. and Tyreke Key reached double figures, but posted poor shot selection. 26 on 73 shots, those were the pitiful figures for Leuven Bears, including 3 on 25 three-pointers. Coach Eddy Casteels had a limited rotation and saw Brevin Pritzl, the American who worked for Leuven Bears last season but was recently attracted by Kortrijk Spurs, score 16 points.

Any new guard on the way?

Now that the first round is over, it is clear that there is a lot of work to be done for Leuven Bears. The forwarding of Chris Vogt and Casey Benson and the signing of the duo Codi Riley and Teddy Danson will hopefully bring an injection of quality. A third new foreigner, a guard, is also said to be on the way. Putting all the pressure on the guard position on the talented but still only eighteen-year-old shoulders of Noah Meeusen would be unwise.

With 3 out of 10, the Bears are only in eighth place. They are completely off course for Elite Gold. Only if there is a good start in the return round, i.e. winning in Brussels on Sunday, anything is possible.