AS Monaco Basket: 5 memorable moments from 2022
© Communication Department / Michael Alesi
A historic qualification, a completely renovated sports hall, an exceptional shot on the buzzer… Let’s look back at the highlights of the Roca Team’s year.
Qualification for the Euroleague play-offs
AS Monaco Basket beat the odds by qualifying for the play-offs in its first ever Euroleague campaign.
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Sasa Obradovic’s men even came close to making it to the Final Four but lost out to Olympiakos in Game 5.
An honourable defeat that heralded Monaco’s arrival in the lofty spheres of top-flight European basketball, and their current season in the competition is proving that it was no fluke (see below).
Elie Okobo’s buzzer-beater against Alba Berlin
It is a shot that Monaco fans are not going to forget any time soon. Full of composure with just seconds left in the game and both teams headed for overtime, Elie Okobo raised the roof on the Gaston-Médecin hall with important guests in the audience – Prince Albert II, the president of AS Monaco Basket Aleksej Fedoricsev and the Minister of State Pierre Dartout.
The French point guard’s fabulous shot gave his team the win over Alba Berlin (89-92), and Gaston-Médecin a taste of the great European matches to come.
🔥 L’incroyable tir d’Okobo au buzzer qui permet à la #RocaTeam de l’emporter 🤩 @ElieOkobo_0
— AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) December 16, 2022
🎥 @skweektv pic.twitter.com/BUKdWP8ISs
Renovation of the Gaston-Médecin Sports Hall
Transformed over the summer, the Gaston-Médecin sports hall was unveiled at the beginning of the season, after just a few weeks of intensive renovations.
No one could fail to be impressed by the new hall, made entirely of beech wood, and quickly embraced by the Monegasque supporters.
A brand new facility with nearly 5,000 seats that meets Euroleague standards, heralding the Roca Team’s arrival in the big leagues as one of the clubs to be reckoned with in Europe.
The modernised hall was inaugurated on Sunday 2 October for the home match against Roanne in the championship. A date that will go down in the annals of the Roca Team.
The extra-time victory over Real Madrid
It’s the kind of match that fuels legends. And it was an emotional roller-coaster for the Monegasques on the Spanish court.
Starting with a buzzer-beater by Mike James that took the Roca Team into extra time.
Extra time that AS Monaco Basket won, led by its American star (28 points, 4/7 three points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), in a more than memorable match.
Joint leader in the Euroleague standings
In its second consecutive season in Europe’s most prestigious competition, the Roca Team quickly delivered on the promise of last season.
With eleven wins and five losses in sixteen games played, AS Monaco Basket ends 2022 in first place in the regular phase, together with Baskonia Vitoria, pending the Fenerbahce, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona matches.
A strong performance that raises hopes for what the second half of the season will bring. The play-offs for the second time in a row? Perhaps the Final Four?