The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DAVID Nesbitt and his Minas Belo Horizonte club finished third in FIBAs Basketball Champions League Americas Final.

Nesbitt scored 10 points and eight rebounds in the third place game and Minas defeated Sao Paulo 75-58 at the Alexis Argüello Sports Center in Managua, Nicaragua.

Minas finished second in Group D during the BCL Americas group stage at 2-4. Through four games, Nesbitt averaged 9.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He also shot 41 percent from three-point range.

In the final, they opened with a quarterfinal win over Quimsa Santiago del Estero, the defending BCL Americas champions and the top seed in Argentina’s La Liga. Nesbitt finished with seven points and four rebounds.

Three of the final four teams were members of Brazil’s Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB).

After an opening night loss, Minas has reeled off 16 consecutive wins to surge near the top of the standings, before a loss to Flamengo.

The NBB playoffs start on April 21, with Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais hosting the opening round of 16. Minas enters as the No.2 overall seed after a 25-4 regular season.

The top four teams (Flamengo, Minas, São Paulo and Paulistano) received a bye directly to the quarterfinals. They will face the winner of the Franca and Fortaleza series.

In his first year with the club, Nesbitt ranks third on the team in scoring at 11.2. points per game and second in rebounding at 5.9 boards per game. He is also shooting 52 percent from the field and 45. percent from three point range.

This season with Minas marks Nesbitt’s third club in as many years in the NBB. He has also won two league championships during his tenure.