Not too many players ever can say that since they walked into an elite competition like the Euroleague, they have never lost when it truly mattered. That is the case, however, with Euroleague Basketball's choice for MVP of March, Maceo Baston of Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv. After winning titles in his only two Euroleague seasons so far, Baston made sure last month that Maccabi keeps trying for a three-peat. He was all over the floor as Maccabi went 5-0 in March - with pairs of victories against both Ulker and Climamio, plus one over Real Madrid - to win its Top 16 group and claim homecourt advantage in the Quarterfinal Playoffs. Indeed, once things got tough for Maccabi with a loss to open the Top 16, Baston got better. He finished the month averaging 15.6 points, 6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while making 68% of his two-point shots and 86.4% of his free throws. By the time March was over, Baston could say something else quite unique: since he joined the team, Maccabi has won every Euroleague group, series, semifinal and final in which it has played. That's one more reason why Maceo Baston makes a great choice as Euroleague Basketball's MVP for March.

Euroleague Basketball's MVP of the Month honor is in its second season. Although statistics and index ratings are taken into consideration for the award, they alone do not determine who is honored. The winner is named by Euroleague Basketball based on his and his team's performance during the previous month. The award for March was based on the five Top 16 games that fell during the month.

Maccabi entered the month in an unusual position, sharing last place in its Top 16 group after a road loss at Real Madrid to open the round, then being down in the second game on its home floor to Ulker. But from that halftime through the end of the month, no team was stronger. With Baston coming off the bench for 9 points and 5 rebounds, Baston rallied to beat Ulker. Next, Maccabi went to Bologna, where Climamio had not lost a Euroleague game in two years, a 23-victory streak that ended after Baston scored 7 of his 14 points early in the fourth quarter: Maccabi did not fall behind after that. Back home for the next game, Maccabi took revenge with a 15-point victory over Real Madrid in which Baston led all scorers with 20 points to go with 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Next, when Climamio came to Tel Aviv, Baston set the tone by blocking the visitors' very first shot of the night and kept intimidating as Maccabi never trailed on the way to another victory. Even after four victories in a row, Maccabi was looking at the need for at least an 18-point win going into the final Top 16 game, at Ulker, if it wanted a chance to win its group. Again, Baston stepped up, leading the champs with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, slamming his signature dunks and even burying a rare three-pointer in the fourth quarter as Maccabi raced to a 22-point road win.

Its Top 16 race finished with Maccabi having posted a perfect 5-0 record in March and having landed, once again, in first place in its group, after having been on shaky ground to start the month. Maceo Baston did something of everything to spark the turnaround and make sure that Maccabi ended March in its customary role as the team to beat in the Euroleague. the new trophy awarded to the Euroleague's monthly MVP at the first Quarterfinal Playoffs game in Tel Aviv, Maccabi vs. Olympiacos, on Tuesday, April 4.