There are many, and sometimes not obvious, Italian players who are abroad as far as Italian basketball is concerned. This season several have returned to our country, from Marco Spisso in estate a Giordano Bortolani in the current season from Manresa. Let’s discover a wide range of them, both in the men’s and women’s fields.
MEN
PAOLO BANCHERO
That the first overall pick in the last NBA draft is with all the radars pointed at him is now clear. The averages speak for him: 20.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, with the addition of a very high performance consistency. Peaks over 30 points are rare (two in the season), but many, many races finished in the 20 area. The point is not whether he will become strong, because he will become strong: if anything, we must talk about how much. All while waiting to understand what will become of his relationship with the Italian national team. Meanwhile, there are many records already achieved, and for the Rookie of the Year the race seems already closed without too many discussions.
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SIMONE FONTECCHIO
The Utah Jazz’s new man has been ready when asked, even if he hasn’t been deployed in some of the last few occasions. The statistics say, in terms of averages, 3.9 points and 1.1 rebounds, but we must remember that we are not exactly talking about someone who plays as a sixth man. Against Rockets, Cavaliers and Warriors he showed his value, he finds his good 9 minutes of shoe tying and, overall, we can expect some signals from him to come again. All while waiting to put the blue jacket back on with a single goal in mind: the 2023 World Cup in Asia.
DANILO GALLINARI
In this case, given his injured condition for the season, one can only wish Gallo a full recovery and, at least for the final stages of his career, an end to the misfortunes that often and (reluctantly) conditioned him .
GABRIELE PROCIDA
Season started with the foot on the accelerator and then went downhill for the former Cantù and Fortitudo Bologna, at least in this phase. Chosen with the number 36 draft in the NBA draft (the rights belong to the Detroit Pistons), the Como-born settled in Germany and immediately proved that he can adapt to the Euroleague environment, earning minutes and points even in important games, such as against Real Madrid (13 in 18’46”). In the last few days, however, the performance has dropped and coach Israel Gonzalez is “seeing” him less. Quite fluctuating performance in the German championship, where the best things are offered away. Averages: 7.6 points and 3 rebounds in 15’50” in the Basketball Bundesliga, 5.6 and 1.6 in 13’19” in the Euroleague.
ACHILLE POLONARA
Currently at the center of a market intrigue called Stella Rossa, the Marches is not living easy days anyway. In Ergin Ataman’s rotations at Anadolu Efes he is increasingly forgotten. In the Turkish Super Ligi he almost never plays, but only for turnover reasons, while the real problem is in the Euroleague. “We didn’t get what we wanted” before, “Injured for two weeks, but now he’s fine” then: these are the words of the coach also of the Turkish national team. In short, it is clear that with 2.9 points in just under 12 minutes of medium duty the situation is extremely difficult.
LEONARDO OCKETE
Up to now we can not essentially talk about his adventure in Spain. For him, in fact, after Badalona turned him to CB Prat in LEB Plata (the third series), only one game played and injury problems that are not making his season exactly what he hoped for.
DAVID OKEKE
Leonardo’s brother has an incredible story. A heart problem stopped a potential very good career in the bud, two years that nobody wishes, then a return to the field in Georgia and now in Iceland, at Keflavik. The Monza born in 1998 is traveling at an average of 7.5 points per match, but the numbers are relatively important for him. The best news is, regardless, that he can continue to be on the floor.
THE NCAA PLANET
Abramo Canka: arriving at UCLA with good prospects, he has to force his way through several high quality prospects. At the moment he is on the edge of the rotations, with 2.2 points per shoe tie. Will better times come? Maybe.
Micheal Anumba: his season ended practically immediately, in the sense that in mid-October his Achilles tendon gave, preventing him from playing his last season as a starter in Winthrop.
Gianmarco Arletti: year as a junior, therefore the third, with the Delaware Blue Hens for the Bologna wing guard. In the first part of the year, preceding the regular season of the Colonial Athletic Association, the team found a good condition; for the person concerned 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Edward Del Cadia: for him it is the fifth season at the Nicholls Colonels. Having suffered a serious injury (broken cruciate) in the 2021-2022 preseason, he was able to avail himself of the opportunity to play as a redshirt senior. However, his playing time has been down for a couple of weeks: at the moment his averages are 13.1 minutes, 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds.
Erik Czumbel: the point guard from Verona is on the roster of UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio). With the Roadrunners, four overall appearances in the NCAA tournament in history, he averages 3.5 points, 1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 17.8 minutes, numbers a little lower than the 4.6, 2.3 and 2.7 in 25.7 of the past year. However, we are talking about one more devoted to defense.
Lorenzo Donadio: part of the American Eagles of Washington DC, team of Division I and precisely of the Patriot League, the Roman is often called from the bench. He currently averages 4.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 15.4 minutes, with a double-digit peak of 14 in mid-December.
Francesco Borra: One game for the University of California, Davis sophomore. It appears clear that it is not in the rotations; meanwhile he is following the degree course in communication.
Matthew Picarelli: the former Trento player, in his third year, is playing his cards as a protagonist at UMBC. In November, four games of almost 20 points per game for him, who in this college of the America East Conference famous for the upset against Virginia at the 2018 NCAA tournament, is traveling at an altitude of 11.3, with an exponential increase in responsibilities compared to the first two years.
Nicholas Nobili: rookie at the prom called Boston University, the Bolognese is having little space with the Terriers: 1 point, 1.6 rebounds in 5.1 minutes are his numbers.
Leonardo Bettiol: against the Abilene Christian Wildcats for the Treviso native 5.5 minutes with 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds on average. Basically, when called upon, for the time he has, he’s there.
John Emejuru: the numbers of the center with an Italian passport, but a British basketball pedigree, are 5.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, with a statistical deviation given by a couple of games at 16 and 14 of the nine games.
Riccardo Ghedini: only three minutes on the pitch for the Milanese at the Davidson Wildcats. Impossible to hack in such situation.
There are then Massimo Giorgetti (a New Orleans) e Tommaso Ferraretti (to Sacred Heart) who play the role of walk-on: they are players without scholarships, but internal to the team and who usually complete the roster for training.
DONNE
LAURA SPREAFICO
We speak here of the most important Italian currently abroad, and precisely in Spain, at Lointek Gernika Bizkaia. Here he simply continues to do what he already did in Italy: guarantee solidity and triples. For her, almost 10 points per game with 46.5% from the arc in the league and, in the EuroCup, almost 11. She has reunited with several players she has had to deal with in Italy, such as Julie Wojta, but above all she has shown her worth the international level, all with the National chapter which at the moment is more than open, after the years you defined in the style of “parallel lines”.
VICTORY BLASIGH
A product of Costa Masnaga, this year he has decided to move to Spain, to Gran Canaria, which currently sails in tenth position out of 16. The averages of the 2004 class are also good: 7.1 points with 41.7% from three, and the performances are starting to become more and more significant at this stage of the season. However, his advantage is that he is extremely constant, and at this point it is not excluded that he can be seen again in the near future at higher levels, in Spain or Italy.
THE NCAA PLANET
Elisa Pinzan: for her it is the fourth and last year in Maryland. At Terrapins (who are doing very well) the Murano point guard is not traveling on very high averages for now, but is always constant: 22.1 minutes of average use with 4.1 points, 1.e rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. She remains to discover her destination once her university career is over.
Lucia Decortes: also in her senior (ie last) year at a non-prominent college, Albany (Great Danes). For now, the winger from Bergamo has these averages: 15.1 minutes, 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds.
Alice Recanati: for Bergamo another year at Eastern University. The Colonels women’s team boasts two NCAA Tournament appearances quite apart. For her redshirt sophomore status, which is obtained by requesting it after a long stop due to injury or previous problems with space in the team. Basically, it’s her third effective year: she’s exploiting it well, with 9.3 points of average and an important role in rotations.
Clara Rosini: is part of the roster of the McNeese State Cowgirls, who play in the Southland Conference. The season record is not one to remember (3-8), and the times of appearances in the main tournament are more than 10 years away. For Trieste, in his second year, he averaged 11.4 points, 1.3 points and 1 rebound, with a little more space at the beginning of the season.
Silvia Natives: she is also a sophomore at Louisiana Tech. With the Lady Techsters, even without great numerical data (4 points, 3 rebounds and 4.2 assists), the former Vigarano and San Giovanni Valdarno is held in high regard for what he can do on the parquet, since the minutes on the pitch race are 27.6.
Anna Rescifina: She moved to the other side of the ocean this season in the American Eagles jersey. For the moment, the Sicilian from the Reyer Venezia school is substantially on the margins of rotations (5.6 minutes, 1 point average in 10 games played).
Photo: LaPresse
