The 2023/24 season officially ended a few days ago with the victory of the 31st Scudetto for Olimpia Milano.
For the third consecutive year the Virtus Bologna she emerged defeated from the Finals and was left empty-handed in the Italian Derby.
Having archived this very long season with the conquest of the Super Cup, a good ninth place in the EuroLeague, a Scudetto final and a disappointing exit in the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup, Virtus takes stock of what it has experienced and will begin (it has already begun to do so at tell the truth) to think about the near future.
There season just ended All in all, it can be defined as satisfactory. It’s true that if we look at what was raised to the sky (the usual Super Cup) the fans may still be left with an empty stomach, but the journey and some of the results achieved were important. Above all, obviously, the journey in Europe. In the EuroLeague, Virtus Bologna was the driving team of the Italian movement, arriving 40 minutes from the playoffs and comfortably in the top eight for more than half of the regular season.
The path followed by the Black Vs until mid-January was exhilarating, but then a bad collapse with a truly complicated February-March. In the playin the feat in Istanbul againstEph and then the last knockout in Vitoria against Baskonia.
What emerged this season, with a coach Luca Banchi who only took office in Juventus on the eve of the Super Cup after the shock of the dismissal of Sergio Scariolo, is that for next year if we want to take a more linear and less tortuous path we will need a rejuvenation of the roster. And advanced age has also made itself felt quite strongly in the LBA Finals against Milan.
In the meantime, let’s untie some important issues. In the next few days, first of all, the EuroLeague board will meet to decide the 18 teams that will participate in the 2024/25 season. The Virtus – despite being in those at “risk” – is practically certain of its presence. Also the words of CEO Paulius Motiejunas during the press conference in Berlin on the occasion of the Final Four they were reassuring. He should go to the EuroCup Valenciabut be careful Paris which – strange to say – has a complicated financial situation and has not yet brought a satisfactory economic plan to the EuroLeague.
In the meantime, Virtus Bologna is making itself ready from all points of view. After the destabilizing statement from the QuattroR fund a month ago in which the cessation of sponsorship was announced SegafredoHere you are the reconciling officialdom. Segafredo will continue to sponsor the Bologna club, but at slightly reduced prices. The coffee company will give 6 million per season, to which 2 million will be added Massimo Zanetti2 Crif/Cribis in the person of Carlo Gherardi and 2 others from a third new sponsor who will most likely give the Arena its name.
If we add everything up – sponsorships, box office, etc. – Virtus Bologna will have a budget of around 20 million with 13/14 allocated to building the roster. A very small reduction compared to last season when it reached 23 million. But now some aspects must be considered that will free up room for maneuver. Meanwhile, the 23 million included Sergio Scariolo’s last year’s salary: the contract with the Spain coach will expire this month. Furthermore, the Black Vs will free themselves from demanding contracts like those of Jordan Mickey and of Iffe Lundberg who with Luca Banchi found his smile again after being separated at home for a year and a half. There should also be something disappointing on the way out Every Dobrich and the never used Rihards Lomazs.
Then with Ante Zizic armored by a salary of 1.2 million, evaluations will be made on Bryant Dunston And Devontae Cacok. The former arrived at the LBA Finals without a shred of energy left and with the option to leave, the latter we will almost certainly see leave on loan. So the former Lakers big man will probably be renewed for a year and “parked” in EuroCup or BCL clubs to gain experience because the club believes in him and he was showing signs of growth before the injury. As for the Croatian, however, if an interested club were to arrive, the Juventus club will listen and certainly won’t keep him in chains under the two Towers. Finally, the budget could also undergo a small increase from the plan that the club will adopt with the women’s team. This will obviously not be removed from the LBF, but will undergo a significant halving of investments. They will salute the prized pieces, in particular the onerous Cecilia Zandalasini headed to Mersin in Türkiye.
There are certainties of permanence Daniel Hackett, Marco Belinelli, Isaiah Cordinier, Alessandro Pajola And Achille Polonaraall holders of an existing contract.
But as far as the player base is concerned, the two priorities and issues to be resolved will be those concerning Tornike Shengelia And Awudu Abass. The Georgian has a contract with exit options on both sides. He has a lot of market and interest given the dominant season especially in the EuroLeague. He has a heavy contract worth 2 million euros per season with exit options for him of a figure ranging from 500 thousand euros to one million and around 200 thousand euros for the club. The company will make careful assessments because if on the one hand the impact of Shengelia is fundamental, on the other it would free up a nice treasure to be able to reinvest on the market. Probably him they will propose a renewal with employment spread over several years. Toko will evaluate and make his decision. On the one hand he has made no secret of wanting to aim to win his first EuroLeague, on the other Bologna has become home and his family would welcome a stay in the Emilian capital.
The other node is that of Awudu Abass. His contract will expire on June 30th and then he is free to settle wherever he sees fit. The blue winger who will be part of Pozzecco’s roster for the PreOlimpico is in negotiations with Virtus Bologna. The number 55 has played a crazy season and for Virtus, depriving him could mean losing a very important player and one of the most important Italian players. Abi has various proposals on his plate, not just the renewal of Virtus. There was talk of an interest from Milan and a maxi offer from the Turks of the Besiktas. The next few days from Abass will be decisive.
Finally inbound. For now nothing particularly concrete. Andrejs Grazulis after the great two-year period in Trento it is blocked and there has been interest for Chris Jones of Valencia, Luca Vildoza of Panathinaikos, Rayjon Tucker of Venice and the former center of Pesaro and Efes Tyrique Jones.
What Virtus – in the person of Paolo Ronci, whose contract will expire at the end of the month but who has already actually renewed – will have to look to rejuvenate the roster with perhaps some players capable of taking the team on their shoulders. This season only Lundberg and Shengelia did so and in the end they arrived bruised and tired.And Luca Banchi? The coach from Grosseto, barring any setbacks, will remain at the helm of the Black Vs for his second year of contract. Banchi immediately after the defeat in game 4 flew to Latvia where he will lead his national team in the Pre-Olympic which they will play at home in Riga. Certainly without the deputy Lassi Tuovi (directed in the Japanese championship), Banchi will want to build the new Virtus together with Ronci. In fact, they will meet in the next few days to define roles, objectives and market strategies.
The new season has already begun. Behind the desks obviously, but it is from these hours that the future of the club passes.
Eugenio Petrillo
In the image Abass, Shengelia, Lundberg and Hackett, photo Ciamillo-Castoria
