L’APU Udine has almost completed the roster for next season. With the arrival of Francis Stefanelli the bianconeri have completed their guard department and now only one piece is missing to complete the puzzle for next season. While waiting for sporting director Andrea Gracis and coach Adriano Vertemati to choose and reveal the name of the playmaker who will join Lorenzo Caroti in the control room, let’s find out more about the latest addition to the Friulian team.
Stefanelli is one shooting guard of 191 centimeters and 88 kilogramsa significant physical structure that allows him to spend a lot on both sides of the field. During the presentation, this is exactly what Vertemati focused on, saying: “He has the ability to score in different ways, he knows how to make the right choices and he is extremely reliable in defense“. The class of 1995 is in fact a very efficient shooter from the arc and in the last two seasons he closed the playoffs with respectively the 38% on 5 shots per game and 30% on 3 conclusions per match. His shooting mechanics are fluid, clean, fast: he will be an excellent target for shots. From the free throw line it is then a sentence: 91% on almost 5 attempts for tying shoes in the season just ended.
Experienced playerduring his career he had the opportunity to wear different jerseys. His first appearance in Serie A2 dates back to the 2017/18 season with the Berthram Derthona jersey, where Mirza Alibegovic also played. The winger is not the only new face who will find himself in the APU Udine jersey, because in his experience at Acqua San Bernardo Cantù in the 2021/22 season he had the opportunity to play with Matteo Da Ros, reaching the Coppa Italia final and the one valid for promotion.
The 1995 class therefore brings the Vertemati tactical chessboard shooting, defense and experience, fundamental features in today’s game. In terms of physical structure he is a different player from Lorenzo Ambrosin, with whom he will alternate in the role of “two”. While the former Fortitudo Agrigento player has specialized as a volume scorer in recent years (over 11 attempted shots per game, 6 of which were three-pointers in the last season), Stefanelli also willingly accepted starting from the bench, becoming a factor during the race in progress. The former Verona player is quicker than his teammate and it is not excluded that the two cannot play together. In particular quintets Vertemati could even choose to deploy both of them to play “5 out”, that is, without a real center to have 4 fast players with a reliable shot on the perimeter. In that case Ambrosin could play the small forward (giving the respite to Mirza Alibegovic, compared to whom he is more reliable from the arc) and Stefanelli the guard, with Ikangi as number 4 to flank one of the big men (maybe Johnson, the most athletic of the park available to Vertemati) and the point guard.
