Armands Skele of Anwil Wloclawek takes FIBA Europe League MVP honours this week after leading his club to an impressive 25-point away win over Belgian heavyweights  Dexia Mons Hainaut. The young Latvian star topped his team in scoring, assists and steals in the game, racking up 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals shooting 50% from 2-point land and hitting 66.7% from behind the arc. This win was particularly sweet for the Polish club as Dexia won the first round match-up by 12 points (58-70) in Wloclawek in October.

Anwil sits at the top the table in Group B, with 6 wins and 2 losses, and is looking very comfortable for qualification to the playoffs. Skele has played an instrumental role for the Polish champions in the European competition this season, averaging 15.5 ppg, and again leading his team in scoring, assists and steals. Furthermore, he is second only to center Dusan Bocevski in rebounding for the season, having grabbed 43 boards in 8 games.

Despite his young age (20 years), Armands Skele is already regular fixture in the Latvian National Team, as he has appeared at all levels starting at the European Championship for Cadets in 1999 when Latvia took 5th place. His relatively quiet performance at EuroBasket 2003 in Sweden in September belies the confidence and assertiveness with which he now leads Anwil, and opposing coaches will have to keep Skele in mind when playing against Latvia during the qualification games for EuroBasket 2005 next summer.