The EuroLeague returns to Milan after a seven-month hiatus. The last appearance took place in early March, behind closed doors, against Real Madrid. The game is scheduled to be played on Friday 9 October (8.45 pm). Asvel Villeurbanne is the club owned by Tony Parker, the former NBA San Antonio Spurs star, coached by his brother TJ who was on the club’s staff as an assistant last year. After a good showing in the EuroLeague last year, the French team will at least try to be even better thanks to the addition of a former NBA player who is an expert in European basketball like Norris Cole (formerly with Maccabi and Buducnost). Olimpia enters the game after the big win taken in the battle of Munich, decided in the extra time by a Shavon Shields’ huge three. Malcolm Delaney scored 17 points with eight assists; Kyle Hines went 5-for-5 from the field; the outcome remained in the air due to the uncharacteristic 18 turnovers. After that win, Olimpia largely defeated Treviso at home in the second Italian league game. Obviously, Vlado Micov and Kevin Punter are still out.
COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “We face a team very athletic and well-organized, both offensively and defensively. In the EuroLeague, every game is decided by little things. To win this game, we’ll have to pay attention to our transition defense in order to keep them from scoring easy points, and we’ll have to exploit their defensive switches.”
JEFF BROOKS – “It’s going to be another battle. We are happy to be able to play a EuroLeague game at home, after e long time. It’s just exciting to be out there. We’ll have to play hard, enjoy and do it for 40 minutes. Coming off a very promising first part of the season, what we need to do is to keep executing our plan and keep improving.”
THE OPPONENT – Asvel have lost two out of three games in the French league, in Dijon and at home to Bourg after an extra time, while defeating Chalons-Reims on the road. Allerik Freeman is the leading scorer in France with 15.3 points per game, but Norris Cole, David Lighty and Moustapha Fall are also averaging in double figure. The latter was the best in the Valencia loss, which came by two points and despite Noua’s potential winning shot. Fall is a 2.18 center, who has twice led the French league in blocks per game. He has been playing abroad for three years (Turkey and Russia). This summer, Asvel brought him back home as they did the previous summer with Antoine Diot, after four years spent in Valencia, who has come from some difficult seasons due to injuries. Norris Cole is in his fourth year in Europe after six NBA seasons mostly in Miami. He made his debut in Valencia with 11 points and six assists. David Lighty is the team’s franchise player: it is his sixth year in Villeurbanne with a season in Italy in the middle. Asvel counts on athletes like Amine Noua, Ismael Bako, Guerschon Yabusele (a former Boston Celtics player, who had 87 NBA appearances) and the American Kevarrius Hayes, also seen in Cantù before. Allerik Freeman played at Baylor and North Carolina State, and he is now making his EuroLeague debut.
THE REFEREES – Robert Lottermoser (Germany), Sergio Silva (Portugal), Eduard Udyanskyy (Great Britain).
THE ASVEL CONNECTION – Asvel president Tony Parker played in San Antonio for Ettore Messina. David Lighty during the 2011/12 season played in Cantù along Vlado Micov and Andrea Cinciarini. Michael Roll and Norris Cole played together for Maccabi in 2017/18.
NOTES – Sergio Rodriguez in the EuroLeague is riding a streak of 24 consecutive free throws made and 14 games with at least one made three … Gigi Datome has an open streak of 13 free throws made … Kyle Hines is two steals away from 200 in his career.
