By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
After an emotional win against Milos Teodosic and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade to perfectly close last week’s double-round action, Luca Banchi said he felt his guys “were on a mission” while beating the Serbs with an impressive performance that even saw them take a 16-point lead in the second quarter.
It was the fifth straight win between the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the Italian league, but you can make it six after the black-and-white side didn’t leave any hope for Dinamo Sassari in the last domestic game, winning once more in front of their fans.
Nobody was betting on Virtus to come out straight as a contender for the EuroLeague Playoffs even after winning the EuroCup in 2022. Therefore, it’s senseless to state it now after a controversial September which saw the team part ways with Sergio Scariolo, moving on to Luca Banchi. However, they’re taking the task very seriously, or even personally, one might say.
There (almost) couldn’t be a better start for Virtus
Facing Zalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague opener, the first game for Banchi on the Italian team’s bench, seemed like a promising start, especially when Virtus went up by 15 points twice. However, the returning Keenan Evans stepped up for Zalgiris, leaving Virtus to start with a home defeat.
From then on, however, something clicked. A big 24-point win on the road in Monaco wiped the doubters away, shaping a well-united and, most importantly, a conscious core of players in which anybody could turn into the go-to guy on a given night.
The last two impressive results, first against ALBA Berlin and then against Crvena Zvezda – which followed an emotional return to Basket City for Milos Teodosic – did nothing but confirm that Virtus is here to stay, likely fighting at least to enter the new EuroLeague’s new Play-In Showdown round, between the regular season and the playoffs.
Luca Banchi’s basketball is based on an organized flowing offense that’s always trying to find the open shooters on the perimeter. This has happened regularly so far, as Virtus Bologna ranked fourth in both three-pointers made per game (11.5) and its success rate from behind the arc (41.4%), while sitting sixth in average assists (20.8).
The way this roster is built, with forwards able to stretch the floor, makes spacing the offense easy and efficient. Virtus also ranks sixth in points per game (83.5), in pace (71.8) and in offensive rating (116.4).
But it’s not all about offense. Alessandro Pajola already belongs to the defensive elite of the EuroLeague, joining the conversation with Olympiacos Piraeus’s Thomas Walkup and Partizan Belgrade’s Aleksa Avramovic for the best on-the-ball defender in Europe. His intensity on defense leads by example. It’s not by accident that Virtus Bologna ranks third in the EuroLeague for its defensive rating (103.9), behind only FC Barcelona (103.6) and Valencia Basket (101.4).
Iffe Lundberg’s comeback and Toko Shengelia’s leadership
Moving on to Virtus Bologna’s soul at the beginning of the EuroLeague Regular Season, everything points to Tornike Shengelia. The Georgian power forward, who has recently turned 32 years old, is the real leader of this team, alongside captain Marco Belinelli and veteran playmaker Daniel Hackett. Toko, however, is different.
Already MVP of Round 3 with his monster 26-point performance to drag his team to the win against ALBA Berlin, he has been averaging 18.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 28:28 minutes spent on the court per game, and shooting with outstanding percentages: 74.1% on two-pointers, 50.0% from deep, and 81.2% at the foul line. It adds up to Shengelia ranking third among all EuroLeague players in average PIR (22.3).
When double- or even triple-teams come, making the defense collapse on him, Shengelia has an excellent ability to read the game and find his open teammates on the three-point line. It’s something that Jaleen Smith is experiencing well, bringing back memories from Germany in which Luke Sikma played the point forward perfectly in ALBA.
The other great news of Virtus Bologna’s start to the 2023-24 season regards Iffe Lundberg’s effective return to the court. After not playing a single minute in last year’s Italian League playoffs and having one foot out the door during the summer – as stated by former head coach Sergio Scariolo in his last post-game press conference – he’s now an essential part of the Italian team’s second unit, regaining the confidence that brought him first to CSKA Moscow and then to the Phoenix Suns.
Added to this, Jordan Mickey has been playing the center position as never before in his EuroLeague career with Real Madrid, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Khimki Moscow, averaging 12.8 points and a fifth-ranked 6.8 rebounds in the first four games. Isaia Cordinier is on the brink of a breakout season, having increased his passing ability after learning from a master like Milos Teodosic. Ognjen Dobric has recovered well from his ankle injury. And Bryant Dunston provides defensive grit and leadership.
The ingredients for an exciting recipe are there, and you don’t even need to find yourself in one traditional restaurant around Bologna to taste it. Just stop by at PalaDozza or Segafredo Arena: Virtus will greet you with delicious basketball. If the EuroLeague is hungry, this looks like the right team to come out satisfied.
PHOTO CREDIT: Gabriele Platania / Virtus Segafredo Bologna