Tribute to the Champs: Nico Mannion

Nico Mannion’s first season in European competition did no go as planned, but it ended the way he hoped with Virtus Segafredo Bologna celebrating its 7DAYS EuroCup triumph.

Mannion was signed to become a key force for Virtus and there was great hope after he served as the assist leader and second-best scorer for the Italian national team at the Olympic Games over the summer. However, after that Mannion became ill with an intestinal virus that caused him to lose a lot of weight and miss all of training camp and the start of the season. Though Mannion recovered to become a role player, he never claimed the leading role that was expected of him.

For the season, Mannion averaged 2.1 points and 1.7 assists over 11:24 minutes in 16 games. He had season-highs of 5 points and 4 rebounds in Round 12 against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica and delivered 3 assists on 3 occasions. Mannion was called on for 10:06 minutes off the bench in the quarterfinals victory over Lietkabelis Panevezys and 3:10 in the quarterfinals against ratiopharm Ulm. Coach Scariolo sent Mannion onto the floor for the final 42 seconds of the championship game against Frutti Extra Bursaspor to be able to celebrate his team’s famous triumph on the court.

Although the season was fraught with disappointment from an individual point of view, Mannion showed glimpses of the talent that made him a star in high school and college. In Bologna, there is still reason to expect big things from Mannion, who has already captured his first continental trophy by winning the EuroCup.