May 22, 2008
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, SPAIN- With the Spanish basketball season coming to a climax, former Nanook standout Brad Oleson prepares for a fierce battle for promotion as he enters the postseason with his club team, Beirasar Rosalia. Rosalia, who finished the regular season in eighth place after posting a 17-17 record, meet third-seeded Bruesa GBC in the first round of the Adecco LEB Oro playoffs.
In the Spanish basketball system, teams compete in a tiered system of leagues, starting with Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (or ACB, the country's premier basketball league), followed by the Adecco LEB Oro, the Adecco LEB Plata, and the Adecco LEB Bronce.
Each season, two teams are promoted from their current league to the next highest league, with the goal being to eventually reach the ACB. The two lowest teams from each league are relegated, and forced to drop down to the next lowest level.
By claiming the LEB Oro's best record in the regular season, Zaragoza has already secured promotion to the top flight. The league's next eight highest teams (second place through ninth place) then participate in a playoff bracket to determine who earns the league's second and final promotion spot.
Bruesa took Game 1 of the best-of-three series with a 76-67 victory over Rosalia on Tuesday, despite an all-purpose performance from Oleson. The North Pole native recorded nine points, hitting two three-pointers and draining all three of his shots from the free throw line. Oleson also added three rebounds and five assists to the Rosalia cause.
"We are in a hole right now, but we have to keep doing what we have been doing all year: going out there and playing hard and making the right decisions," Oleson said. "Playing at home is a lot easier, so hopefully we can take care of business."
Should Rosalia win the LEB Oro playoff, it would complete a remarkable second promotion in two years for the team. Oleson played a vital role as the team swept through the LEB Plata playoff's last season without losing a single game. The former Nanook averaged a team-best 17.3 points per game in the 2006-07 postseason, including 19 points in the championship final.
"You work all season to win a championship, so it was a great feeling [to win last year]," Oleson said. "I mean, some people go through their whole careers and don't win a championship, so whenever it happens, it's one of those moments where you can sit back and enjoy everything."
Rosalia had been playing at the LEB Plata level since Oleson's 2005 arrival from United States Basketball League side Dodge City Legend.
Despite the step up in competition, this season has proved to be Oleson's most productive yet on the Iberian Peninsula. He finished the regular season averaging 18.5 points per game for Rosalia, putting him second in the league behind fellow American and former Kentucky Wildcat Antwain Barbour (19.4 ppg). Oleson led Rosalia in scoring in 17 of his 30 games this season, scoring in double-figures 26 times throughout the season and breaking the 20-point barrier on 11 occasions.
"This league has a lot more money, so, of course you are going to get better players," Oleson said. "I worked really hard this summer on my game because I knew everything was going to be tougher this year, and it's paying off now. It has a lot to do with my teammates and coaches as well: they believe in me to make plays, and that's what I'm out there to do."
This season, Oleson led the entire league in minutes played (averaging 33:51 per game) and in three-point field goals made, hitting 83 of his 179 shots from behind the arc. His 47.7 three-point shooting percentage puts him fourth in the LEB Oro, and his 97 assists (3.23 apg) rank 10th in the league as well.
Saving his best basketball for the run-up to the playoffs, Oleson scored at least 10 points in his last eight regular season contests, including a season-high 34-point effort against Bruesa on March 26.
As he winds down his third season in Spain, things could not be better for Oleson on the other side of the Atlantic. "Life in Spain is great," he says. "I'm playing basketball for a living, what else can I ask for? I wish more people could watch European basketball. It's a different style from the NBA; it's a lot more of a team game, but it's very good."
Oleson and his Rosalia teammates return to their home court for a must-win Game 2 of the 2007-08 LEB Oro playoffs against Bruesa on Saturday, May 24. The team then travels to San Sebastian for the third game of the series, if necessary, on Tuesday, May 27.
