Matteo Spagnolo will play in Trent

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Spanish in Trento

Market blow for Dolomiti Energia Trentino, which announced that it has signed an agreement with Matteo Spagnolo: the 2003-class point guard, selected at the last NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves with call number 50, comes to the bianconero on loan from Real Madrid.

Born in Brindisi on January 10, 2003, Spagnolo has established himself as one of the most promising European prospects of his vintage: after taking his first steps at Aurora Brindisi and Mens Sana Mesagne, in 2016 Matteo joined the youth sector of Stella Azzurra Roma, starting to make his mark in the Serie B championship and in the international “under” tournaments he participates in with his team. His talent does not escape the observers of Real Madrid, which in 2018 brings Spanish in its cantera: with the “blancos” he wins twice the Euroleague Next Generation and continues his individual growth that culminates with a preseason lived as an aggregate of the first team coached by coach Pablo Laso and two seasons as a protagonist with the Real’s B team of which he becomes one of the main leaders.

After also debuting in the ACB with the merengues’ jersey, in 2021-22 Spagnolo was sold on loan to Vanoli Cremona: with the Lombardi in Serie A, the blue point guard, 194 centimeters for 88 kilograms, played 25 official games ending the season with 12.2 points and 2.7 assists on average, shooting an excellent 44.1% from three and winning the Best Under 22 award in the league. Numbers that also convinced the Minnesota Timberwolves to select him with the No. 50 pick in the latest NBA Draft staged in New York last June 24.

Despite his young age, Spagnolo is also a veteran in terms of the national team: a European bronze medalist with Italy Under 16 (complete with inclusion in the best quintet of the tournament), Matteo in the early 2020s became the third youngest player in Italbasket history to debut with the senior national team. That’s 11 total appearances for the Azzurro, with 32 points scored.

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