By Stefan Acevski/ info@eurohoops.net
The French team has started the Round of 16 in the Basketball Champions League in an excellent manner and is currently in a good position regarding qualification for the quarterfinals of this competition.
After a not-so-great start and advancing from the first group only in the last round, in the match against Spartak Subotica on their home court (76-61), Le Mans Sarthe Basket found their rhythm.
In the play-ins for a spot among the top 16 clubs, the French side easily dispatched Mersin Sports Club, with a total margin of 57 points across two wins, and they have also started the next BCL phase brilliantly.
Le Mans Sarthe Basket surprised Galatasaray MCT Technic in the first round in Istanbul (90-83), then also on the road, crushed Hapoel Netanel Holon (106-85), and now awaits the match against Rytas Vilnius on their home court while topping Group I with a 2-0 record.
For all this Trevor Hudgins, the starting point guard and leader of this team, is probably most deserving.
First player ever from Northwest Missouri State in the NBA
Trevor Hudgins spent his entire college career at Northwest Missouri State, playing in Division II of the NCAA for four years. Over these four years, Hudgins became a true legend at this university. He started all 139 games in this college’s jersey, averaging 20.4 points and five assists, and won three Division II NCAA titles with NMS. The latest came in the 2021/22 season, during which Hudgins averaged as much as 23 points per game.
Although he wasn’t drafted, the 180 cm tall point guard eventually made it to the NBA, becoming the first player in his college’s history to do so. He was picked up by the Houston Rockets, for whom he played a total of five games in the world’s strongest league. He spent most of his first season in the G League, playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he averaged 20 points.
In November 2023, he came to Europe, specifically to Le Mans, where he currently plays.
Hudgins’ three seasons in the French club
Unlike a large number of players who come from USA and change clubs almost every season, Hudgins is already in his third season with Le Mans Sarthe Basket and is slowly becoming a club icon.
After an excellent first season, when he arrived at the club in November replacing Nate Mason, who left for Turkey, Hudgins played an even better second season. In it, he averaged 16 points in the domestic league, earning himself a spot in the All-LNB Second Elite team. He also helped his team win the Leaders Cup in the 2025, the first time in 11 seasons.
Leading Le Mans Sarthe Basket to the BCL Quarterfinals
This season, Hudgins is playing excellent basketball and is probably the most deserving for his club’s rise and positioning among the top eight teams. Trevor is averaging 14.6 points, five assists, and 2.4 rebounds, with an impressive 58.3% shooting for two and 40.6% shooting for three. He has also made only 12 turnovers far this season, and he’s got the same number of steals.
Hudgins in many ways resembles Jalen Brunson, the point guard of the New York Knicks. The American playmaker of Le Mans Sarthe Basket is left-handed, which makes it challenging for opposing players to guard him. Despite being 180 cm tall, he excels in the paint and in contact situations, primarily using his body well.
He can score from very difficult positions, score under foul, and sometimes makes seemingly impossible shots, a characteristic often seen in left-handed players.
So far, everything is going great for the French team in the BCL. A potential victory on their home court against Rytas Vilnius would pave their way forward, and Hudgins, who is slowly becoming an icon and legend of the club, is leading them towards advancing to the next phase.
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