Isaia Cordinier Mvp, beaten Zach LeDay and Brianté Weber

Isaïa Cordinier (Virtus Segafredo Bologna) has been elected best player of the 26th round of the championship after surpassing rivals Zach LeDay (EA7 Emporio Armani Milano) and Brianté Weber (Banco di Sardegna Sassari) in the voting.

When coach Dusko Ivanovic needs intensity, balance and leadership on both ends of the court, he knows who to rely on. The name is that of Isaïa Cordinier, a French outside player born in Créteil in 1996 who is increasingly a point of reference for Virtus Segafredo Bologna. In the high-flying challenge against Germani Brescia, staged at the Segafredo Arena, the Bologna team overturned the match’s inertia thanks to a masterful third quarter, closed with a peremptory 28-9 run that steered the game to a 91-79 Bianconero victory. Dragging the comeback was Cordinier himself, the absolute star of the night. The number 00 finished with 21 points (9/13 from the field and a perfect 3/3 from three), to which he added 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 recovered balls, 1 stoppage and an impressive 26 rating, topped by a plus/minus of +24. A total performance, which confirmed how much the transalpine is now a mainstay of the HCL team. His ability to read the game, his synergy with his teammates and his attitude as a leader make him an indispensable player in Ivanovic’s chessboard. What impresses, in addition to his figures, is his inexhaustible energy: Cordinier is the classic player who never spares himself, always ready to jump on every loose ball and give his all even in the dirtiest situations of the match. Defensively, he represents a guarantee. His athleticism, combined with quick feet and polite hands, allows him to switch effectively on multiple roles and make life difficult for any opponent. The 27-year-old is establishing himself as much more than an excellent comprimario: he is now the face of virtussini in the decisive moments of the season. And, with this spirit, he can become one of the symbols of the HCL race toward the most ambitious goals.

“In this period, given the results collected, we are much closer to the Virtus seen in the second half than what we showed in the first. We have to learn to be more concrete and more continuous throughout the entire forty minutes, but I am very proud of the resilience we showed throughout the game. It was a tough game against a tough opponent: they took home the win in the first leg when we played Brescia, so today it was important to overturn the result and win in front of our audience, because this was still a game with first place in the standings at stake. The difference between the two halves l’made the different approach with which we entered the parquet in the third quarter. Here I have to spend some words for Pajola and thank him: it was thanks to his defensive ability and his recoveries if we took away the certainties from our opponents, moreover, this allowed us to score easy baskets in transition; he dictated the pace and the whole team followed him, if we won and were able to regain the disadvantage it is again thanks to Pajola.”These are the statements of Isaïa Cordinier to the microphones of DAZN in the post-game of Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Germani Brescia.

The French player finished in double figures for the thirteenth time in the points scored category, scoring his second “twenty” of the season after the one he put up against Dolomiti Energia Trentino (23 points); one of his best personal shooting performances with 6/10 from two (highest number of two-point baskets made in the season) and 3/3 from three (tied his own record of triples scored in a single game in this league). The 26 rating represents the 16th contest closed in double figures in this figure, the fourth with a rating of 20 or more after those recorded against Estra Pistoia (23), Vanoli Basket Cremona (21) and Dolomiti Energia Trentino (29); in addition, Cordinier tied his own single-game record for recoveries with 3 as in the challenge with the Trapani Shark, which occurred during the first day. On the season he is averaging 9.8 points, 3.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 12.1 rating and +8.1 plus/minus (third best figure in the Unipol A Series).