Andrea Calzavara is liked by many: Udine has clear ideas on what to do
Il Messaggero Veneto takes stock of the situation at APU Udine, a newly promoted team that has hit the goal of staying in Serie A and still has a (tenuous) hope of playing in the playoffs. The restart relies on three players already under contract: captain Mirza Alibegovic, rising youngster Andrea Calzavara, on whom some top clubs such as Olimpia Milano have their eyes on, and Eimantas Bendzius. The first two have played a decisive role during the season, while the Lithuanian has shown a more erratic performance.
For two elements of the “old guard,” protagonists of Udine’s promotion to Serie A, there is an option to extend for another year: Iris Ikangi and Anthony Hickey. Ikangi has been confirmed as fundamental especially in defense and less visible work, while Hickey has been affected first by an injury and then by a doping-related affair. On both of them, technical staff and management are called to reflect.
Different situation for Matteo Da Ros, a reference point in the locker room in the last three years, but now at the end of his contract: in September he will be 37 years old, a factor that will inevitably weigh in the evaluations.
Looking at the other seniors, it seems complicated to assume confirmations, also for an age issue: all of them are over 30. Semaj Christon made an important contribution to salvation, but he is approaching 34. Longers Skylar Spencer and Christian Mekowulu have offered sufficient performances overall, albeit with some declines, while Aubrey Dawkins has not convinced.
It should also be considered that, in basketball, especially with regard to foreigners, changes are frequent. Udine’s recent history proves this: from the first season in Serie A2 to the present, only two players have stayed for more than a year. One is Hickey, the other Rain Veideman, who arrived in April, making a good initial impact and a decent start in the following season, before waning to the point of prompting the club to intervene in the market with the signing of Troy Caupain, now among the stars in Reggio Emilia.
