Chuck Eidson was a solid 6′7 Small Forward out of the University of South Carolina enjoying a nice year as a shooter/scorer while playing for Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania. Then the teams starting point guard went down with an injury and everything changed. Eidson moved to the Point position and let Rytas to the EuroCup Championship while earning MVP honors basically playing out of position.
Lietuvos Rytas went on to enjoy one of the most successful seasons in its history by winning FIVE championship along the way by adding the LKL League championship to the Eurocup, Baltic League, BBL Presidents Cup and Lithuanian Cup crowns. They will be part of the EuroLeague next season which announces their draw on July 8.
Eidson regularly comes up big in big games, in the LKL championship series against powerful Zalgiris featuring former NBA’er Loren Woods (Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets) he was huge. In the important first game he went for 30 points and 6 assists and drew an amazing 12 fouls on his opponent which is one of his best traits, getting to the foul line. Then in game 4 he exploded again, this time for 34 points and 12 rebounds while drawing 14 fouls against. He averaged an amazing 28 efficiency points in the 5 game series.
TURIN, ITALY
The EuroCup final was no different, this time Rytas drew a stiff challenge from the Russian League runner-up BC Khimki and its talent laden roster. New Spanish National Team coach Sergio Scariolo heads a Khimki unit with Carlos Delfino (Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Argentina), Kelly McCarty (So. Miss, Denver Nuggets), rising star Timofey Mozgov, Jorge Garbajosa (Spain, Toronto Raptors), Maciej Lampe (NYK, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets), Mike Wilkinson (Wisconsin), and Milt Palacio (7 NBA teams most recently Utah & Toronto). Eidson, still playing the point, went for 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and drew 9 fouls while earning EC MVP for his stellar play in the 8 team tournament.
They play some good basketball in other parts of the world, you should check them out.
Anybody you know playing somewhere other than the NBA? I’d like to hear about it.
-Chris Denker
Source: netscoutsbasketball.com
