It wasn’t the easiest of opening games for Ettore Messina’s Olimpia Milano, which struggled against a surprising NutriBullet Treviso coached by Frank Vitucci but still found the 86-80 win to open the 2023-24 LBA season as reigning Italian champions.

Shavon Shields was once again the red-and-white leader, scoring 22 points with 5 rebounds and 7 assists, while Alex Poythress followed with 16 points and 6 rebounds, being dominant on the glass.

Nikola Mirotic didn’t leave his best offensive night, having only 12 points (6/6 at the line) with 4 turnovers, but scored the decisive three-pointer with 3:17 minutes left to give Milano the 78-77 lead. “It’s never easy at the beginning, I was a little bit nervous before our first game at home. It wasn’t my best game, but a win is a win. We have to think about the next game”, he said after the victory.

On the other side – the losing one – the newcomer Pauly Paulicap provided a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds with 6/7 from two-point range. The 26-year-old point guard Deishuan Booker led his team’s offense with 13 points and 10 assists, another double-double. Moreover, the former Boston Celtics guard James Young, who last played with Kolossos Rodi, added 14 points.

Celebration Time#insieme #ForzaOlimpia #OlimpiaMilano pic.twitter.com/BzS5fxBzxu

— Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) October 1, 2023

Virtus Bologna started the LBA with a win as well

Milano wasn’t the only EuroLeague participant from Italy who struggled in its opening LBA night, as Virtus Bologna beat Givova Scafati 81-75 after a long battle on the road.

After being named MVP of the Italian Supercup in Brescia, Tornike Shengelia was once again decisive for Luca Banchi’s team, scoring 21 points with 7 rebounds. “It’s always very tough to play in Scafati, but we wanted to come out very seriously. We want to build on this, we’re gonna try to keep mistakes”, the Georgian said. Daniel Hackett added 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists for the black-and-white side.

The home side saw Jack Nunge scoring 16 points with 7 rebounds in his first-ever professional game in Europe, while the 40-year-old David Logan had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Coming back to LBA after one year in the Italian second division, Alessandro Gentile had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.

2023-24 LBA – Round 1 results

Dolomiti Energia Trentino – Vanoli Cremona 91-84
Reyer Venezia – Bertram Yachts Derthona Tortona 76-60
Germani Brescia – Carpegna Prosciutto Pesaro 81-79
Banco di Sardegna Dinamo Sassari – GeVi Napoli 90-111
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano – NutriBullet Treviso 86-80
Givova Scafati – Virtus Bologna 75-81
Openjobmetis Varese – Estra Pistoia (04/10 at 19:30 CET)
Happy Casa Brindisi – UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia (04/10 at 20:30 CET)

PHOTO CREDIT: Olimpia Milano

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BRESCIA, Italy – Destroying the hosts 97-60 in Brescia’s PalaLeonessa, Virtus Bologna conquered the third straight Italian Supercup, winning the first trophy of the season. Of course, this is also Luca Banchi’s first trophy after being appointed head coach a little more than a week ago.

In the post-game press conference after winning his first trophy as Virtus Bologna’s head coach, the 58-year-old praised the Spanish national team’s leader, whom he replaced after the 2023 FIBA World Cup. “I feel the duty to say thank you to who preceded me, Sergio Scariolo, who clearly has great merit for the games we played here, for having contributed to set up and to prepare the work of this team”, Luca Banchi first commented.

The Latvian national team’s head coach went on thanking those who surrounded him since day one. “From the first day, the club put me in the position to be welcomed and to perceive the desire to excel which is felt here. I have simply tried not to slow down this flow and impulse, I hope that in these two days, we have been able to show a good level of cohesion and performance. Now we enjoy the moment and already look into the future”, he added.

“This is a healthy group, with an important listening ability and widespread basketball leadership, with many experienced players, accustomed to playing to win trophies. They know how to approach moments like this”, Luca Banchi said before touching on the difficulties a long season with several duties puts you against. “This group seems to have the spirit of sacrifice: we hope to keep it because this will be a season of peaks, as is tradition for those who play the Euroleague”, Luca Banchi added.

To conclude the post-game press conference, the former Olimpia Milano and Mens Sana Siena head coach gave the example of Chus Mateo. “There is no exemption. Real Madrid won the Euroleague last year, it’s a protagonist in ACB and is a resounding team, but there have been a lot of talks about the coach’s dismissal. There is no team that doesn’t have peaks of downs, so we have to build here and store sensations that will become valuable in the future”, he finally stated.

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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BRESCIA, Italy – Things could have been worse for Luca Banchi, who continues to add good memories to his surreal September. After ending in 5th place at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the head coach won his first trophy on Virtus Bologna’s bench, beating Brescia 97-60 for the 2023 Italian Supercup.

Both Tornike Shengelia and Isaia Cordinier were X-Factors for Luca Banchi’s team to capture the third consecutive Supercoppa Italiana for the black-and-white team. The Georgian power forward had his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds, as Brescia players tried to contain him by committing 7 fouls; the French player, instead, added 17 crucial points for his side. Jordan Mickey, who played the 5, provided 15 for Virtus Bologna.

“I wanted to say thank you to who preceded me, Sergio Scariolo. This is a group of players who have the ability to compete at the highest level. I wanted to just give the impulse and not slow them down. I’m a little bit of a non-paying spectator”, Luca Banchi said in the post-game press conference.

Mi sento in dover di ringraziare chi mi ha preceduto, Sergio Scariolo. Io ho cercato semplicemente di non frenare questo flusso ed impulso. Sono un po’ spettatore non pagante

Trying to follow on his dominant performance against Bertram Yachts Derthona Tortona, Amedeo Della Valle was still Brescia’s highest-scorer with 12 points despite shooting 1/4 from two. The newest center Miro Bilan tried to be impactful on the glass with 14 points and 6 rebounds but had a nightmare evening at the charity stripe, where he shot 4/11 on free throws.

Following his good performance in the semifinal against Olimpia Milano, Isaia Cordinier started the game hot with seven straight points, including one dunk off the baseline. Luca Banchi’s team went up 14-1 after 3:22 minutes, imposing his rhythm straight from the beginning. Miro Bilan tried to reduce the gap in the low post, but Virtus Bologna resisted to close the opening quarter up 27-10.

The hosts began the second quarter way better game-wise on offense, creating several open shots. However, they kept on struggling to convert them, failing to reduce the gap: with 7:07 minutes until halftime, Alessandro Magro was forced to call timeout as Virtus Bologna was leading by 19 points (34-15). Amedeo Della Valle interrupted Brescia’s three-point fasting at 3:40, while Semaj Christon completed a 5-0 run later on to reduce Bologna’s lead to eight points (40-32). Ultimately, at halftime, Virtus was up 48-35.

As already proven in yesterday’s semifinal against Ettore Messina’s team, Tornike Shengelia has been living an amazing start to the 2023-24 season, and he demonstrated it by giving Virtus Bologna the right boost in the third quarter, causing problems to Brescia’s defense. The former Brescia player Awudu Abass put his team up by 30 points, while Alessandro Pajola followed by extending the lead to 76-43 at the end of the third quarter, which finished on a 28-8 run.

In the last quarter, Luca Banchi gave more minutes to his second unit, but things didn’t really change much. At the end of the day, Brescia couldn’t have any chance with poor percentages both from two (16/35, 46.0%) and from beyond the arc (5/23, 22.0%) against such a physical opponent like Virtus Bologna, which dominated rebounding-wise as well, capturing 22 boards more than their opponents.

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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BRESCIA, Italy – The past few days have been peculiar in Bologna, Virtus-wise. With Luca Banchi starting a new adventure on such a historic club’s bench, only a week was necessary to bring the team to the imposing win against Olimpia Milano, getting to the Italian Supercup final through the first Italian derby of the season.

Providing 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists Tornike Shengelia was by far the best player on Virtus Bologna’s side. “It’s always very tough against such a great team as Milano to match their physicality, aggressiveness, and energy”, he commented right after his team’s 78-73 victory.

Most importantly, after days of first adjustments with the newest head coach on the black-and-white bench, the Georgian power forward underlined what Luca Banchi wanted from the team, giving an aggressive identity on both sides of the floor to the whole squad.

“We talked about our identity with coach Luca [Banchi] before the game, and we want to be aggressive on both defense and offense, going with the flow and playing with a lot of energy. Today we demonstrated. Even though it wasn’t our best game, we kept our ideas clear and finally, we won”, Virtus Bologna’s number 21 spoke about the 58-year-old, who replaced Sergio Scariolo.

Touching on the Latvian national team’s head coach’s first steps inside this locker room, Toko Shengelia had nothing but good words. “Great feelings, everything’s positive”, he said without hiding the excitement for a new basketball year to begin. “We can’t wait to start the season both in the EuroLeague and in the LBA. Now we are all focused on tomorrow’s game whoever our opponent is going to be”, he added.

This was also the opportunity to see Virtus Bologna’s newcomers playing their first official minutes. Talking about Jaleen Smith, Achille Polonara, and Bryant Dunston, the 31-year-old praised his new teammates. “They have a lot of experience and knowledge, they bring positive things to our team. It’s still too early for them to be at their best in the first game, but I’m sure they will pretty soon adjust to the team”, Tornike Shengelia finally said after the victory.

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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BRESCIA, Italy – After facing each other in three straight LBA Finals, Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna stepped on the court of the PalaLeonessa in Brescia for the first official game of the season in Italy, playing the semifinal of the 2023 Italian Supercup, won by Luca Banchi’s side 78-73.

Tornike Shengelia was by far the best player on his team, as he had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Providing energy and intensity on both sides of the floor, Awudu Abass ended the first win of Virtus Bologna’s season with 10 points. Jordan Mickey helped on the glass with 13 points and 3 boards, while the team’s captain Marco Belinelli had 15 points with 9/11 at the free-throw line.

“A solid and serious game. We struggled to produce continuously on offense, the physical level was high. Mirotic is a booster for their game now. I talked with the guys at halftime about the turnovers”, Luca Banchi added in the post-game press conference.

After four years in Barcelona, Nikola Mirotic played his first official game with Ettore Messina’s team, ending the encounter by going close to a double-double with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Shavon Shields was a factor for Olimpia Milano on offense, as the former Baskonia forward provided 26 points but had to leave the court earlier with 1:52 minutes left after committing his fifth foul. Coming back from years on loan, Giordano Bortolani added 12 points off the bench.

“I expected a tough game, we now know where to improve. We can’t think to win games with only one player dragging us, we wasted Shavon Shields’ game”, Ettore Messina commented in the post-game press conference.

The first quarter saw the two Italian forces struggle from the field, as Virtus Bologna ended the opening ten minutes up only by two points (14-12). In the second quarter, Milano stepped up on offense especially dragged by Shavon Shields reaching a seven-point lead (32-25) with 2:27 minutes left, but the black-and-white side remained close and went to the locker room up by two points (34-32) closing a 9-0 run with a step back three-pointer by Daniel Hackett.

The second half saw Virtus Bologna get the early seven-point lead (46-39) with 6:19 minutes on the clock, while the tense nerves increased as time passed. Both Luca Banchi and Ettore Messina, in fact, were awarded technical fouls, just like Shavon Shields. The newcomer Jaleen Smith put his team up by 11 points with a three-pointer later on, and the black-and-whites went to the fourth quarter up 59-53.

In the last quarter, Olimpia Milano started things off better than the opponents, as Shavon  Shields reduced the gap up to three points (64-61) with a three-pointer off the inbound at 7:57 minutes on the clock. Tornike Shengelia put his team back on track with a thunderous dunk for a 2+1 play in transition. Kevin Pangos gave Milano the lead once again at 69-68 with 3:10 left. The game remained on the edge all throughout the end of the forty minutes, which saw Virtus Bologna come out on top.

Considering the high amount of players in the respective teams, there were a lot of absences in the first official encounter of the season for Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna. Maodo Lo, Ismael Kamagate, Diego Flaccadori, Kyle Hines, and Billy Baron were out for the red-and-white team; Iffe Lundberg, Leo Menalo, and Ognjen Dobric didn’t play for Luca Banchi’s newest team.

Brescia wins the second semifinal against Derthona

In the second game of the night, between the hosts Germani Brescia and Bertram Yachts Derthona Tortona, the former completely dominated the encounter straight from the beginning, getting to the Italian Supercup final with an 86-63 victory.

Alessandro Magro’s team ended the first quarter up 23-8, with Amedeo Della Valle particularly inspired for the blue-and-white squad. The 30-year-old captain of the team had 20 points with 4/6 from beyond the arc, followed by CJ Massinburg’s all-around performance of 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. John Petrucelli was also everywhere tonight, ending with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals.

On the losing end, Tommaso Baldasso gave his all to try to keep Bertram Yachts Derthona Tortona afloat with 13 points and 7 rebounds, but the former Olimpia Milano playmaker wasn’t enough. The former ASVEL guard Retin Obasohan also had 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the losing effort.

Brescia will now face Virtus Bologna in the final of the Italian Supercup 2023 tomorrow at 18:00 CET in front of its people in PalaLeonessa. On the first day of the competition, the arena was sold out with 5.097 fans who attended the games in the stands.

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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Pallacanestro Reggiana announces that it has reached an agreement for the 2023/2024 season with nine-year NBA veteran Langston Galloway.

The 31-year-old guard is yet another NBA veteran to move to Europe this season after Kemba Walker signed with Monaco and Willie Cauley-Stein joined Varese.

“I am thrilled to start this new chapter of my career in Italy. It’s a new opportunity for me to do what I love. I feel right now a mix of emotion, gratitude, frenzy, and a great hunger for competition. I can’t wait to give everything, on and off the pitch. I want to make this new page of my basketball journey unforgettable, and I am grateful to God for giving me this chance,” Galloway said.

Galloway has a long and fruitful career in the NBA behind him, having played eight seasons among the “pros” from 2014 to 2022 with the jerseys of New York, Sacramento, New Orleans, Detroit, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Brooklyn, making a total of 458 regular season and playoff appearances with over 3600 points scored and a career-high 32 points scored in November 2019 against Charlotte.

Last season, Galloway played in the G-League with the College Park Skyhawks, averaging 15 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 44% from 3-point range.

Galloway has also represented Team USA in FIBA ​​window matches from 2021 to today, averaging 16 ppg in the 10 World Cup qualifying games played with the US national team.

“Langston is the very important pawn that completes our team. Although this is his first experience in Europe, he looks back on a long and outstanding career in the NBA. He is a great shooter and a good defender, but above all, he is a player of charisma and leadership who will help us build a winning mentality and a fighting spirit,” coach Dimitris Priftis said.

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The Luis Scola-owned Varese is very close to a deal with two-time NBL champion Chase Buford to become the team’s new head coach according to Prealpina. Buford, the son of San Antonio Spurs CEO R.C. Bufford, will be working in Europe for the first time in his career if the deal is finalized.

Prealpina specifically says that “barring a surprise”, Buford will take over Varese and succeed fellow U.S. coach Matt Brase.

Buford spent the last two seasons coaching the Sydney Kings in the Australian NBL League. He led the team to the back-to-back championship titles of 2022 and 2023 before parting ways with the club in May to explore opportunities to coach in the NBA.

Prior to his stint in Australia, Buford debuted as head coach with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League. He was previously an assistant at the Erie Bayhawks and the Delaware Blue Coats.

Scola, an NBA veteran and EuroLeague legend, has been the CEO of Varese since 2021 when he retired as a player of the team. In 2022, the Argentinian great became the majority owner of the Italian club.

Photo: NBL

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Winning the Italian championship in back-to-back fashion and being the captain of the team able to reach the three stars must be a joyful moment for Nicolò Melli, which talked minutes after beating Virtus Bologna 67-55 in Game 7.

“We deserve this success because we stayed on track despite the results, our hard work has been repaid. I’m happy for the fans, for me winning as captain and for the third star of this club, I really feel this shirt”, he said to Eurosport before making a call for next year.

“I am not moved, simply happy and tired. I make an appeal: next year we return to the series with five games, seven are too many”, Nicolò Melli added. The Italian league, in fact, is the only one in Europe where the Finals are on best-of-seven games, and this was the last game of the season in the whole continent.

In the winning game, Nicolò Melli put up 4 points and 7 rebounds, averaging 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds during the whole season. With Milano, he has now won 3 Italian championship and 1 Italian Cup.

PHOTO CREDIT: Olimpia Milano

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MILAN, Italy – The greatest rivalry of the recent past in Italian basketball delivered once again, gifting thousands of fans the seventh game of the LBA Finals series between Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna. In Mediolanum Forum, Ettore Messina’s team won the 30th Scudetto in the club’s history by beating the black-and-white team 67-55.

Gigi Datome was in vintage mode in Game 7, dropping 16 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 5/7 from two, pushing Ettore Messina’s team straight from the beginning. Shavon Shields did the rest, scoring 10 with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Billy Baron added 11 points.

Despite living a low-scoring night with 8 points and 1/6 from the arc, Shabazz Napier played consistently grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing 6 assists. The team’s captain Nicolò Melli was also a huge factor in Milano’s back-to-back winning championship, ending the game with 4 points and 7 rebounds.

Tough night for Virtus Bologna, which shot only 8/32 from beyond the arc. This reflected also upon the players’ performances, as Daniel Hackett was the only one who never surrender with 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Tornike Shengelia added 13 points and 4 rebounds, but also had 6 turnovers in his team’s decisive loss. In what could have been his last game in Italy, Milos Teodosic had 10 points.

A red-and-white domination

Milano started the game hot pushed by a fantastic sold-out crowd in Mediolanum Forum, rapidly going up 7-2 after a Shavon Shields’ three-point play after 2:30 minutes. Ettore Messina’s team punished the opponents in transition, whereas Virtus couldn’t go back in time. The black-and-white opponents couldn’t convert anything from deep, shooting 1/9 and letting Milano close the first quarter up 21-9.

Reaching the 16-point lead at the beginning of the second quarter, Olimpia Milano seemed way more focused than Virtus Bologna, which wasted many opportunities inside and outside the three-point line. The turning point appeared to come with 6:38 minutes left (26-15) in the second with the first three points of Isaia Cordinier’s night, but the red-and-white home side kept on rolling to go to the locker room up 38-29, as Virtus reduced a little the deficit.

The second half began with Daniel Hackett’s jumper and Milano’s back-to-back three-point misses. A monster block by Jordan Mickey on Shavon Shields with 6:57 left kept Virtus alive, but Nicolò Melli caught bodies seconds later. Marco Belinelli missed the opportunity to put only four points behind Bologna, and Ettore Messina’s bounced back again to the 14-point lead (45-31) with 2:23 left. They entered the last ten minutes of the season up 48-34 as Pippo Ricci beat the buzzer from three.

Following the lowest scoring quarter (10-5) of the night, in the last one Virtus Bologna tried to come back with left energy, but things got basically closed as Shabazz Napier scored five straight points to bring his team back to 53-39 with 6:21 left in the game. Billy Baron finally wrote the word victory with a long-distance dagger at 2:40 left in the fourth quarter for the 15-point lead (64-49).

Like in the rest of this best-of-seven series, Ettore Messina left out of the rotation Kevin Pangos and Brandon Davies, other than Nazareth Mitrou-Long, DeShaun Thomas, and Davide Alviti. Sergio Scariolo, instead, decided once again to sideline Ismael Bako, Gabriel Iffe Lundberg, Kyle Weems, and Leo Menalo.

LBA Finals best-of-seven series results

Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G1: 92-82
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G2: 79-76
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G3: 69-61
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G4: 93-89
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G5: 79-72
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G6: 85-66
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G7: 67-55

PHOTO CREDIT: Olimpia Milano

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We will need Game 7 to discover who’s winning the LBA this season, as Virtus Bologna won Game 6 at home against Milano to fight once more in Mediolanum Forum. Before the game started, however, the whole Segafredo Arena stood up to tribute to Kyle Weems, who is set to leave the Italian side after four years.

“Always a great warrior, Kyle forever black-and-white. You’ve always fought with us, you will never be forgotten by your people. Thank you, Kyle“, the tifo prepared by Virtus fans said.

In his first-ever EuroLeague experience with the black-and-white team after winning the EuroCup in 2022, Kyle Weems had 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds. Before getting out of the rotation at the start of the Playoffs, in the Italian league, he had 9.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, shooting 58.8% from two.

Asked about the tribute reserved for him by Virtus Bologna’s fans, Sergio Scariolo gave a powerful answer in the post-game press conference. “The decisions are still far from being made, but if it had been Weems’ last game at Virtus, I can only say I was lucky to have coached this person, as well as this player, in these two years”, he said.

The head coach of the Spanish national team went on talking about the 33-year-old American forward, “If I no longer coach him, he will surely remain in a very small group of people of higher quality capable of expressing leadership and attachment. After two months in which he has not played, he is still the first to arrive, to encourage, to advise. Always with a smile and always with the correct body language: player and person of great class”, Sergio Scariolo added.

Amazing sign of respect by Virtus Bologna’s fans for Kyle Weems (@Kjw3434), who is set to leave the team at the end of the year.

“Always a great warrior, Kyle forever black-and-white. You’ve always fought with us, you will never be forgotten by your people”. pic.twitter.com/0cvKNHzCPT

— Cesare Milanti (@cesaremilanti) June 21, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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BOLOGNA, Italy – Being pushed by an outstanding sold-out crowd in the Segafredo Arena, Virtus Bologna managed to force Game 7 in the LBA Finals by beating the reigning Italian champions 85-66. Olimpia Milano will have to fight for winning the title in back-t0-back fashion

Daniel Hackett was the MVP of the game for Virtus Bologna, as the experienced Italian playmaker ended with 13 points and 7 assists being perfect from two (5/5) and becoming the all-time assists leader in the history of the LBA Finals.

Marco Belinelli had 14 points and 4/6 from deep, including the fadeaway three-pointer that sealed the deal with 4:43 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Isaia Cordinier followed him with a dunk in transition 27 seconds later and ended the game with 13 points and 5 rebounds.

Nicolò Melli was the heart and soul of Ettore Messina’s team, ending the game with 11 points and 6 rebounds in an exhausting performance. Johannes Voigtmann was one of the highest scorers on Olimpia Milano’s side, providing 11 points and a crazy half-court shot to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter. Gigi Datome scored 9 points but had to leave the court with 5:58 left after committing five fouls.

Great start by Virtus Bologna, which went up 7-2 after 1:24 minutes of playing time. Since the very beginning, things looked balanced, as Gigi Datome brought Milano back to equalize at 13-13 with back-to-back threes. Marco Belinelli was hot-handed in the first minutes as well, and the first quarter ended with Milano being up 27-23 following a crazy half-court shot by Johannes Voigtmann.

In the second quarter, Virtus Bologna fought back to go up 34-30 with 5:53 left. Things changed one minute later when Milos Teodosic was first awarded a personal foul on Shavon Shields, and then a technical foul for heavily protesting against the referees, forcing him to leave the court with three fouls. However, the home side found an eight-point lead (45-37) with Isaia Cordinier’s three at 2:19 on the clock. They went to the locker room up 49-43 against Ettore Messina’s team.

For the first time in the game, Virtus Bologna reached a ten-point lead with 6:49 left in the third quarter thanks to a layup by Daniel Hackett. A chaotic part of the game followed, with questionable calls and several mistakes on both ends of the floor. Virtus Bologna entered the fourth quarter up 67-59, after only winning the previous one 18-16.

They just had to keep control of the situation, and Sergio Scariolo’s team managed to go all the way until the end of regulation, unlike what happened in Game 4. The black-and-white side extended the lead to a maximum of 20 points (81-61) with 3:32 left in the game, leaving Milano with only 7 points in the fourth quarter.

Nothing changed in terms of roster choices by the two head coaches. After landing roughly on his shoulder in Game 4, Kyle Hines remained available in Game 6 as well, as Brandon Davies was sidelined, alongside Kevin Pangos, Nazareth Mitrou-Long, DeShaun Thomas, and Davide Alviti. On Virtus’ side, Sergio Scariolo left out Ismael Bako, Gabriel Iffe Lundberg, Kyle Weems, and Leo Menalo.

Before the game, Virtus Bologna’s fans showed massive respect to Kyle Weems, who is set to leave the team at the end of the year after four seasons. “Always a great warrior, Kyle forever black-and-white. You’ve always fought with us, you will never be forgotten by your people”, they said in a tifo.

LBA Finals results and schedule

Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G1: 92-82
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G2: 79-76
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G3: 69-61
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G4: 93-89
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G5: 79-72
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G6: 85-66
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G7 (23/06 at 20:30 CET)

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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Olimpia Milan defended its home court for the third time in the Legabasket final series, defeating Virtus Bologna 79-72 in Game 5, with Shavon Shields scoring 22 points.

Ettore Messina’s team is now on the verge of successfully defending the Italian throne, holding a 3-2 lead in the series before the potentially decisive Game 6 in Bologna.

Shields showcased an impressive shooting performance, going 8 for 12 from two-point range, and finished with 22 points in 31 minutes on the court, achieving a PIR of 24.

Nicolo Melli contributed with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Billy Baron and Shabazz Napier added 12 points each.

On the Virtus side, Marco Belinelli ended with 17 points, Isaia Cordinier added 14, and Daniel Hackett scored 12.

Even though the first 10 minutes promised a high-scoring game, with Milan leading 26-24, both teams intensified their defensive efforts and fought hard for every possession. Milan maintained their lead for most of the game, but Virtus showed resilience, narrowing the gap even after Milan took a 56-43 lead in the third period. Virtus managed to come within two points within minutes, but Messina’s team responded strongly, regained control, and held onto the lead until the end.

LBA Finals results and schedule
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G1: 92-82
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G2: 79-76
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G3: 69-61
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G4: 93-89
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G5: 79-72
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G6 (21/06 at 20:30 CET)
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G7 * (23/06 at 20:30 CET)

*If needed.

The post Shavon Shileds lifts Olimpia Milan over Virtus Bologna for a 3-2 lead in the LBA Finals appeared first on Eurohoops.

Game 4 of the 2023 LBA Finals wrote history, ending after two overtimes and seeing Virtus Bologna coming out on top 93-89, tying the series at 2-2.

Milano came back with a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter, especially thanks to Shavon Shields, who ended the game with 26 points and 9 rebounds, in one of his best performances of the season.

However, the 29-year-old small forward left the court earlier than expected, with 1:43 left in the second overtime by committing his 5th foul right after a call by the refereeing trio on Shields travelling on the offensive end.

Talking about this specific matter, Olimpia Milano’s General Manager Christos Stavropoulos released a short statement to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “We are shocked by the referee meter and by two suspicious calls against Shields, first the travelling violation and then the 5th foul”, he said.

The former Olympiacos manager went on to speak about the former Baskonia player. “Our best player was on the field for 44 minutes and was only able to shoot 2 free throws”, he said. “We want to be respected”, Christos Stavropoulos finally added.

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BOLOGNA, Italy – One thing is certain in this year’s LBA Finals: playing at home matters. Following Milano’s first two wins in Mediolanum Forum, Virtus Bologna managed to tie the series with two back-to-back great performances in front of its black-and-white fans, winning Game 4 93-89 in what ended up being the greatest and craziest encounter of the season in Italy, finished after two overtimes.

Jordan Mickey was one of the protagonists of the big margin created by the winning black-and-white in the first half, ending Game 4 with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Marco Belinelli provided 18 points and 2/5 from beyond the arc.

Tornike Shengelia followed them by scoring 9 points and dishing 5 assists, and Alessandro Pajola provided an all-around performance of 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Isaia Cordiner went close to a crazy double-double with 8 points and 14 rebounds.

On the losing side, Shavon Shields found one of his best-losing efforts since coming back from the injury that forced him to miss a large part of the season. The 29-year-old former Baskonia small forward ended the game with an incredible performance of 26 points and 9 rebounds.

With back-to-back three-pointers in the last seconds of the regular time, Shabazz Napier gave hope to Milano, forcing overtime and ending the game with 16 points and 7 assists. Nicolò Melli ended the encounter with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Virtus found the way despite a crazy roller-coaster

Emotions run fast since the beginning of the game, as Daniel Hackett exploded all of his feelings following a three-point play with 6:57 minutes left in the first quarter. Sergio Scariolo put Jordan Mickey in the starting lineup, and the former Real Madrid big man responded well on the low post. The home side got an 11-point lead (21-10) with 2:12 left, ending the first up 24-14. Milano had 6 turnovers and half of its points from second-chance opportunities.

Virtus Bologna’s dominance continued in the second quarter, reaching a 16-point lead (33-17) with 5:18 before halftime. Olimpia Milano struggled shooting from beyond the arc – they’ll finish the game shooting 31.4% (11/35) – and reduced his offensive rebounds in the second quarter, unlike Virtus Bologna. Sergio Scariolo’s team went to the locker rooms up 40-31 following Gigi Datome’s first three-pointer of the game.

Milano reduced the gap to seven points (46-39) with 6:42 on the clock in the third quarter, as Gigi Datome assisted Johannes Voigtmann’s deep three with a rocket pass. However, Virtus Bologna rapidly got back the momentum, dunking in a fast-break situation with Semi Ojeleye, before Shavon Shields took care of business with a two-point jumper for the momentary 50-45. Nicolò Melli recorded his 4th personal foul at the end of the third quarter, with Virtus Bologna leading 60-47.

Things didn’t change in the fourth quarter, where Sergio Scariolo’s team just kept on dominating against the red-and-white rivals, reaching an 18-point lead (67-49) as Marco Belinelli banked in one of his crazy daggers from a long distance. Milano fought back to just a four-point margin with 4:43 left in the game, scoring 13 straight points.

From Pippo Ricci’s technical foul thirteen seconds later, it seemed like Virtus Bologna could keep an important margin until the end, but Milano trailed by only three points with only 1:09 left, as Shabazz Napier made his first three-pointer of the night. The former Washington Wizards playmaker scored other three points with 00:17 seconds on the clock, tying things up at 76-76.

In the extra time, Virtus Bologna counted heavily on Jordan Mickey’s contribution to the low post. With back-to-back turnovers by Isaia Cordiner and Tornike Shengelia, Milano found the first lead of the game since the first quarter at 80-78 with a jumper by Shavon Shields. The home side completely lost control of the game, and the two sides went to the second overtime at 80-80.

Nicolò Melli went out of the court with 4:16 left in the 2OT, as Jordan Mickey put Virtus Bologna ahead once again at 82-80, and Isaia Cordiner scored four consecutive points for the 86-84 lead. First travelling and then committing the 5th foul of his night, Shavon Shields couldn’t help the red-and-white side in the very late minutes of a never-ending night. Milos Teodosic wrote the word end by scoring a dagger with 1:13 left, giving Virtus the decisive five-point lead (91-86).

Same roster choices on both sides after Game 3. Ettore Messina sidelined Kevin Pangos, Brandon Davies, Nazareth Mitrou-Long, DeShaun Thomas, and Davide Alviti. His colleague Sergio Scariolo left out Ismael Bako, Gabriel Iffe Lundberg, Kyle Weems, and Leo Menalo.

While in the first two games of the series Olimpia Milano had the better of the opponents in Mediolanum Forum, Virtus Bologna bounced back in Game 3, conceding only 61 points to Ettore Messina’s team. Following the second straight victory in the series, they earned the opportunity of playing at least Game 6 at home. Game 5 will be played in Milano’s Mediolanum Forum on June 19 at 20:30 CET.

LBA Finals results and schedule

Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G1: 92-82
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G2: 79-76
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G3: 69-61
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G4: 93-89
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G5 (19/06 at 20:30 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G6 (21/06 at 20:30 CET)
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G7 * (23/06 at 20:30 CET)

*If needed.

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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BOLOGNA, Italy – Meeting their fans at the Segafredo Arena for the first time in these LBA Finals, Virtus Bologna managed to reduce the gap to 2-1 by beating Olimpia Milano 69-61 in an impressive showing.

Daniel Hackett dragged the home team to the impressive win with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Going close to a double-double with 12 points and 7 assists, Milos Teodosic wrote history, becoming Virtus Bologna’s best playoff assist man in the club’s history in just four years with the Italian side.

Being effective on offense for his team as the captain from the very beginning, Marco Belinelli scored 10 points, just like Jordan Mickey. Tornike Shengelia was also a crucial piece for Virtus Bologna, ending the game with 4 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Scoring 15 points with 3/7 from beyond the arc, Billy Baron was the only player on Olimpia Milano’s side on a double-digit. Shavon Shields, being conditioned by his second foul coming with only 1:22 left in the first quarter, ended the game with 8 points.

Despite not contributing much scoring-wise, Johannes Voigtmann had a solid night with 6 assists and 5 rebounds. It surely wasn’t Shabazz Napier’s night, as the 31-year-old former Washington Wizards point guard had 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 turnovers.

Pretty easy night for Virtus Bologna

Following a great tifo by Virtus Bologna’s fans, the game started with two easy back-to-back three-pointers by Billy Baron and Shabazz Napier. When Marco Belinelli banked in his first long-distance shot of the night with 2:47 minutes on, thousands of fans erupted. Milano relied a lot on three-pointers in the first quarter, attempting 13 of them and closing it up 18-16.

With 4:54 left in the second quarter, Daniel Hackett hyped his black-and-white fans after putting Virtus Bologna up by six points, and Milos Teodosic extended it seconds later, giving his team a comfortable nine-point lead (29-20). However, Ettore Messina’s team didn’t lose composure and reduced the gap to five points (34-29) heading to the locker rooms at halftime.

The second half couldn’t start better for the home side, which went ahead 44-33 with 5:40 left in the third quarter for the highest lead of the game until that point. The image of Virtus Bologna’s superiority came two minutes later when Toko Shengelia dunked alone in transition following Milano’s umpteenth turnover of the game.

After ending the third period of the game up 52-42, it was just a matter of time for Virtus Bologna to go all the way to the end. In the fourth quarter, in fact, Sergio Scariolo’s team only had to keep control of the situation, after trying to reduce the gap twice in the first two clashes of the series. The icing on the cake was Toko Shengelia’s no-look pass to Jordan Mickey for the 12-point lead (65-53) with 2:03 on the clock. Overall, both teams struggled from the three-point line (Virtus 6/27, Milano 10/37).

Nothing changed in terms of roster choices after Game 2. Ettore Messina sidelined Kevin Pangos, Brandon Davies, Nazareth Mitrou-Long, DeShaun Thomas, and Davide Alviti. His colleague Sergio Scariolo left out Ismael Bako, Gabriel Iffe Lundberg, Kyle Weems, and Leo Menalo.

In the first two games of this Italian League Finals series, Olimpia Milano managed to get home with the upper hand, but Sergio Scariolo’s team fought until the end, especially in Game 2. Following the latter, Daniel Hackett and Milos Teodosic were involved in an altercation with Milano fans. However, neither of the two was suspended: they had to pay 3.000 euros, while Milano was sanctioned with a 12.000 euro fine.

LBA Finals results and schedule

Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G1: 92-82
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G2: 79-76
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G3: 69-61
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G4 (16/06 at 20:30 CET)
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G5 * (19/06 at 20:30 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G6 * (21/06 at 20:30 CET)
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G7 * (23/06 at 20:30 CET)

*If needed.

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

The post Virtus Bologna got their first victory in the LBA Finals appeared first on Eurohoops.

Olimpia Milano secured their second victory in the Legabasket finals against Virtus Segafredo Bologna. However, after the match, incidents occurred involving Olimpia’s fans and Virtus’ players Milos Teodosic and Daniel Hackett.

The Sports Judge’s ruling on the matter resulted in a one-day disqualification for Olimpia Milano’s court, as well as  for Milos Teodosic and Daniel Hackett. Instead of suspensions, all parties involved were fined, with Olimpia Milano fined 12,000 euros and each player 3,000 euros.

The incident involved physical contact between Teodosic, Hackett, and the fans, leading to their teammates becoming involved as well. Additionally, insults were hurled at the players from the stands.

The series will now move to Bologna, with Olimpia holding a 2-0 advantage as they strive to defend their title.

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MILAN, Italy – Game 2 of the Italian league finals between Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna was full of tense nerves and intensity, but things went to another level after the encounter.

As Virtus Bologna was heading to the locker rooms, in fact, Daniel Hackett and some Olimpia Milano fans, who seemed to have provoked the 35-year-old playmaker, ended up in an altercation, with players from both sides trying to solve the fight and bring the veteran player rapidly out of the scene.

As appeared from another footage registered from the stands, Milos Teodosic was involved in the accident as well from the beginning, which also included physical contact between him, Hackett, and the fans. His teammates then got involved, being also insulted from the stands.

After this clash, the former Olimpia player, who won a Scudetto in Milano in 2014, will probably be disqualified and Teodosic may also be in danger. Daniel Hackett had 3 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists in the losing effort. Ettore Messina’s team will now go to Bologna up 2-0 in the LBA Finals series.

CRAZY SCENES IN MILANO

Daniel Hackett and some fans from Olimpia Milano going up in an altercation following Game 2. pic.twitter.com/ulbX8PyJwr

— Cesare Milanti (@cesaremilanti) June 11, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

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MILAN, Italy – Following 40 minutes of high-level basketball and intensity, Olimpia Milano managed to win 79-76 Game 2 of the LBA Finals best-of-seven series against Virtus Bologna in the third straight Italian league showdown between the two.

Putting in an incredible three with 1:35 minutes left, Shavon Shields gave the lead (75-73) to Olimpia Milano, ending the game with 18 points and 4 rebounds. Shooting 4/7 from three to end with 12 points, Billy Baron shone on offense for the winning side. Despite a pretty rough night from beyond the arc (2/10), Shabazz Napier still contributed with 12 points and 4 assists.

On Virtus Bologna’s end, Marco Belinelli did his best to keep the black-and-white team alive. After scoring 19 points in Game 1, he followed tonight with 14 and 4/6 from beyond the arc, always ready to take a shot from the long distance. Tornike Shengelia was also a protagonist for Sergio Scariolo’s team, scoring 17 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and giving his team the partial lead (73-72) at the line with 1:47 left. However, the Georgian missed both decisive free throws later on.

The game ended with tension between Virtus players  and Milan fans.

A dogfight until the end

If in Game 1 Virtus Bologna got the upper hand from the very beginning, Milano learned from it in Game 2, going up 9-5 with 6:19 on the clock; however, the black-and-white team managed to come back to close the first quarter up 17-14. The tension rose since the first minute, and Sergio Scariolo got awarded a technical foul after a refereeing call against Virtus Bologna.

Fighting on the other end for offensive boards, the 2022 EuroCup winners found a seven-point lead (24-17) after 2:52 minutes of playing time in the second quarter. Containing Marco Belinelli’s off-the-screen threes and more generally Bologna’s offense, the reigning Italian champs went to the locker room coming back once again up 38-35 with a three by Billy Baron.

The third quarter started with Milano’s keeping on going with the momentum, as Shavon Shields stole the ball from Jordan Mickey to score in transition. Billy Baron followed with two back-to-back threes to give Milano a seven-point lead (46-39). As already shown in Game 1, this series is all about going back and forth, and Virtus reduced the gap to three points (57-54) at the end of the third.

The first minutes of the fourth quarter became a personal affair between Devon Hall, dunking on the sideline, and Marco Belinelli, who banked in two back-to-back of his usual daggers. The game remained on the edge until the very last possessions, as Virtus Bologna tied things up at 72-72 with 2:11 minutes left, but in front of a completely soldout Mediolanum Forum, the home side concluded on a winning note.

Ettore Messina and Sergio Scariolo decided to stick with their Game 1 choices, sidelining Kevin Pangos, Brandon Davies, Nazareth Mitrou-Long, DeShaun Thomas, and Davide Alviti on Milano’s side, and Ismael Bako, Gabriel Iffe Lundberg, Kyle Weems, and Leo Menalo on Virtus Bologna’s roster.

Following Milano’s 92-82 victory to open the series, Ettore Messina’s team extended the lead to 2-0 and will now go to Bologna with the opportunity of bringing the trophy home with two straight wins in the Virtus Segafredo Arena. Game 3 will be played on May 14 at 20:30 CET.

LBA Finals results and schedule

Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G1: 92-82
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G2: 79-76
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G3 (14/06 at 20:30 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G4 (16/06 at 20:30 CET)
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G5 * (19/06 at 20:30 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G6 * (21/06 at 20:30 CET)
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G7 * (23/06 at 20:30 CET)

• If needed.

PHOTO CREDIT: Olimpia Milano

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MILAN, Italy – After respectively overcoming pretty easily Dinamo Sassari and Derthona Tortona, Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna met in Mediolanum Forum with no empty seats for Game 1 of the LBA Finals. Following an intense 40-minute clash, the home side took home the first victory, beating the black-and-white rivals 92-82.

Pushing Ettore Messina’s team since the beginning, Shabazz Napier was the hero for the red-and-white side, scoring 22 points with 5/10 from beyond the arc, 5/6 at the line, and 3 assists. This is the fifth time the former Washington Wizards playmaker went over 20 points in the Italian league.

In front of his dear friend and New Orleans Pelicans’ forward Trey Murphy III, who talked to Eurohoops during halftime, Devon Hall ended the game with 15 points and 5 assists. He had the concurrency of Kevin Pangos for making it to the roster tonight. Milano’s captain Nicolò Melli contributed with 8 points and 6 rebounds.

On Virtus Bologna’s side, both Marco Belinelli and Milos Teodosic have been vital to create the gap in the first. The Italian captain ended Game 1 with a losing effort of 19 points and 8/9 from the charity stripe, while the Serbian playmaker scored 15 with 4/8 from three. Tornike Shengelia added 16 points and 6 rebounds, while the former Milano player Daniel Hackett provided 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Virtus Bologna started the game hot, and with Marco Belinelli’s long-two the black-and-white team was up 10-0 after 3:22 minutes. Shabazz Napier, who scored Milano’s points with a four-point play, was forced to leave the court early after committing two fouls. Despite its main creator’s absence, the red-and-white side managed to cut the deficit and close the first quarter up 21-19 with a three-pointer by the former Washington Wizards playmaker, who returned to the court for the last possession.

In the second quarter, both teams adjusted themselves on defense, containing the opponents’ main weapons. Virtus seemed to have the upper hand, going once again up by six points (32-26) with a three-pointer by Milos Teodosic with 5:08 left. Shabazz Napier went directly to the locker rooms with 3:53 minutes until halftime, and Bologna joined him with an eight-point lead (44-36).

Olimpia Milano came back to the court after halftime with the right spirit, producing an 18-7 run to come back up front especially thanks to Billy Baron and Johannes Voigtmann’s shots from deep. The two Italian EuroLeague representatives went to the fourth quarter in the most balanced and reasonable way, seeing the level of intensity and physicality shared on the court.

Virtus closed up by one (64-63), but Olimpia Milano looked way better on offense in the last ten minutes, managing to go up by six points for the first time in the game with 5:20 left thanks to a putback layup by Shavon Shields. The 29-year-old small forward followed with a clutch three-pointer, and from then on Ettore Messina’s team managed to keep control of the encounter, winning Game 1.

Paul Biligha was ejected with 30:10 seconds left following an altercation between the two sides. Ettore Messina decided to sideline Kevin Pangos, Brandon Davies, Nazareth Mitrou-Long, DeShaun Thomas, and Davide Alviti. Like in the Semifinals series won against Derthona 3-0, Sergio Scariolo made it to Milano without Ismael Bako, Gabriel Iffe Lundberg, Kyle Weems, and Leo Menalo.

Following the win in Game 1, Olimpia Milano will face Virtus Bologna in the second clash of this third straight LBA Finals best-of-seven series on May 11 at 18:00 CET. Ettore Messina’s will have the opportunity to go to Bologna up 2-0. Last year, the red-and-white started 1-0 on the road.

LBA Finals results and schedule

Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G1: 92-82
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, G2 (11/06 at 18:00 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G3 (14/06 at 20:30 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, G4 (16/06 at 20:30 CET)
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, Eventual G5 (19/06 at 20:30 CET)
Virtus Bologna – Olimpia Milano, Eventual G6 (21/06 at 20:30 CET)
Olimpia Milano – Virtus Bologna, Eventual G7 (23/06 at 20:30 CET)

PHOTO CREDIT: Olimpia Milano

The post Shabazz Napier gave Milano the lead in the LBA Finals against Virtus Bologna appeared first on Eurohoops.

Experienced Italian guard Amadeo Della Valle and head coach Alessandro Magro extended their contracts with Germani Brescia until 2026, but the club won’t be part of the EuroCup next season, as announced by club’s president Mauro Ferrari.

Della Valle arrived in Brescia in the summer of 2021, becoming Legabasket MVP in 2022 and winning, again as MVP, the 2023 Italian Cup.

“We signed a new three-year deal with Della Valle, a contract without any kind of exit. It is an agreement that will lead him to stay with us until the age of 33,” Ferrari said.

Magro, on the other hand, has an option clause in his contract at the end of the 2024-25 season.

“For next season our coach will still be Alessandro Magro to conclude the three-year project, which has given us good satisfaction so far. We could have done better in the league this year, but given what we did last year and this year with the victory of the Italian Cup he remains to conclude the project,” Ferrari added.

It was also announced that Bresica won’t be playing in the EuroCup for the 2023-24 season.

“We won’t make the Eurocup because we didn’t earn it on the field. We thought it is appropriate not to request the wild card, and it was a decision by the Board of Directors. We want to earn this competition on the field. We will therefore bet everything on the championship, the Super Cup, and the Italian Cup,” Mauro Ferrari explained.

Brescia finished the 2022-23 season just below the playoff spots, with a 14-16 score. Magro’s players won the Italian Cup and ended the EuroCup run in the quarterfinals to Turk Telekom Ankara.

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