It’s Olimpia’s final home game of the regular season. The goal is to extend the winning streak to four games, thus mathematically securing the third place in the playoff’s bracket. In theory, Olimpia has a chance to improve its place in the standings, but that’s beyond its control. Third place, viceversa, is. After the win in Venezia, it would be important to finish strong at the Unipol Forum against one of the teams that have already clinch a post-season berth. Trieste won the first game against Milano, but Olimpia took revenge in the Italian Cup quarterfinals in Torino, building momentum toward the trophy. The Torino game was also the first for new Trieste coach Francesco Taccetti, who replaced Israel Gonzalez, who was on the bench in the game played in Trieste. Olimpia is coming off another full week of work in the gym and intends to show further progress compared to the performance in Venezia, where the team perfectly for 25 minutes and then again in the hard-fought final stretch. Diego Flaccadori returns to the roster, although he has never practiced with the team and therefore will not be available to play. Armoni Brooks enters the game as one of the season’s MVP candidates (like tomorrow’s opponent Jahmi’Us Ramsey); Leandro Bolmaro and Josh Nebo have been nominated for the best defensive player award. At halftime, the great Kyle Hines will be honored for his induction into the Olimpia Hall of Fame.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano-Pallacanestro Trieste will be played on May 3rd, at 17:00 at the Unipol Forum.
COACH EMILIO KOVACIC – “Trieste is a team we know well, having faced them twice already this season, and they boast a lot of offensive talent. They’ve already qualified for the playoffs, which shows how solid they are. Their key strength is their ability to play at a high pace and create opportunities through their transition game. Compared to the previous two games, they have a new big man—Josh Bannan—who has immediately proven to be a great fit for their system.”
TRIESTE OUTLOOK – Trieste, coached by Francesco Taccetti, who replaced Israel Gonzáez before the Coppa Italia, is a talented team, especially on the outside and in terms of depth. Colbey Ross (10.9 points and 4.8 assists per game) is now a veteran of the Italian league, having been the league MVP during his time in Varese. He is a creative point guard, excellent in one-on-one situations. His back-up is Trieste native Michele Ruzzier (5.7 points and 3.3 assists per game), another experienced player, who plays with great competitive spirit and quickness, capable of shooting well from long range (34.3 percent). Guard Jahmi’us Ramsey (18.8 points per game, 58.9 percent from two, 37.7 percent from three on 6.2 attempts) is a Texas Tech product in his first European season and is displaying uncommon offensive skills. A key player during the Trieste win and effective in Torino too (53 points combined), he enters these last 80 minutes of the regular season with the great chance of finishing first in the scorers’ list. Markel Brown, in his second year in Trieste like Ross, has been a top player in Italy for years (Varese, Napoli). He is a swingman equipped with physicality, shooting, and intelligence. He is averaging 11.8 points per game on 37.4 percent three-point shooting (5.5 attempts per game), while adding 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per night. Davide Moretti (5.6 points per game) is available again after a long injury, but despite reappearing on the bench, he has not yet been used. Juan Toscano-Anderson is a Mexican forward who has gained NBA experience in recent years, with Golden State, the Lakers, Utah, and Sacramento. He is averaging 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, but his numbers have improved since the first part of the season. Lodovico Deangeli (3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game) is a forward who does a tremendous amount of little things and is therefore a very useful part of the rotation. Another player who was in Trieste last year is power forward Jarrod Uthoff (averaging 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game), a dangerous shooter (38.8 percent from three on 3.8 attempts per game). Jeff Brooks has dealt with some injuries during the season (only 19 appearances) but has always given his usual contribution when he has played (almost 24 minutes on the court, averaging 5.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game), while Francesco Candussi (who is averaging 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds) is a center who can shoot from outside. At the center, the starter is Mady Sissoko, a big man from Mali, who is averaging 9.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 59.4 percent from the field. The rotation of big men is completed by Australian Josh Bannan, who has made six high-impact appearances as a midseason addition (11.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game). So far, he has been particularly effective as an offensive rebounder (3.0 on average).
LA TRIESTECONNECTION – Stefano Tonut, although born in Cantù, is from Trieste. His father Alberto played for Trieste in the 1980s; Stefano made his debut in the second league in Trieste before moving to Venezia. Jeff Brooks, who played for Olimpia from 2018 to 2021, won the Super Cup twice and the Italian Cup once there, and also played in the 2021 Final Four, now plays in Trieste. Davide Moretti, who played for Olimpia in the 2020/21 season, also plays in Trieste.
