By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After losing to Zalgiris Kaunas in the opening round of the 2023/24 EuroLeague season, Virtus Segafredo Bologna has been notching win after win. The main protagonist of this successful start to the season is without a doubt Tornike Shengelia.
The experienced power forward was honored with the MVP award for October in the top continental competition, after averaging an incredible 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and four assists, for an average PIR of 23.6 through the first five games.
“It may seem like a personal award, but if my team hadn’t succeeded as well as we did, we wouldn’t be sitting here. All the credit should go to my team and my coaches, for putting their trust and confidence in me. But without them, I couldn’t have done it,” Shengelia said talking to EuroLeague.net.
Virtus is having a great start to the season with the new head coach Luca Banchi, winning the Italian SuperCup, all five games in Legabasket, and trailing only behind 5-0 Real Madrid in EuroLeague.
“He brought great positivity. He makes us believe in ourselves again. And overall, I want to say that even for me, personally, I wouldn’t be sitting here for this interview without him.”
Shengelia also expressed his wish to own and manage a EuroLeague or EuroCup team in his native Georgia one day.
“Yes, that’s my dream. Unfortunately, in the past, if you had the talent and then didn’t leave our country and go somewhere else at the age of 15, 16, or 17, then your talent would basically fade away. There was no bright future for you. That’s what I want to change, and I want to give the guys the opportunity to pursue their careers and have a team there in Georgia that will compete at higher levels of basketball in Europe.“