Jermaine Samuels is really coming this time
Jermaine Samuels is finally here. The 27-year-old forward, originally from Norfolk County, Massachusetts, played for the U.S. national team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. He has long been on Alessandro Bolognesi’s radar—Bolognesi had already been tracking him while working as sports director in Naples—and it was the new Verona executive himself who played a decisive role in securing his signing after just one standout season with Burgos in the Liga Endesa ACB. Born in 1998, he will play for Verona, which has since announced the one-year signing of his compatriot Christian Jalon “CJ” Massinburg, a 196 cm American guard born in Dallas, Texas, on April 14, 1997.
Massinburg brings a wealth of experience to Verona, which was recently promoted to Serie A after two years in A2—a promotion earned through playoff victories over Brindisi, Fortitudo Bologna, and Rimini, in that order. The Texan player developed his basketball skills at the University of Buffalo and, after going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, came close to making the big leap while playing for the Long Island Nets in the G-League. In 2021, he began his European adventure with the French team Limoges, before arriving in Italy to play for Germani Brescia.
The results of his first two years in Brescia speak for themselves: in 2023, he won the Coppa Italia, while in 2024, he was named Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year in the LBA. After a stint in Turkey with Bahçeşehir in Istanbul during the 2024–25 season—where he averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the league, along with 7.6 points per game in the EuroCup—he returned to Brescia. His second stint with the Biancoblù, however, did not go according to plan: a series of muscle injuries hampered him on several occasions during the 2025–26 season, preventing him from replicating the performance of his first two seasons.
Before choosing Verona, Massinburg had also been linked to APU Udine, with the Friulian team’s general manager, Andrea Conti, including him among the candidates to build the new roster—a move backed by coach Adriano Vertemati’s approval. In the end, however, it was the Gialloblù club that came out on top. Scaligera coach Alessandro Ramagli is pleased with the signing: “Massinburg’s strengths lie in his versatility and solidity on both ends of the court. We need an athlete who can bring us stability, reliability, and experience in this league—aspects that are very important for a newly promoted team. He’s a player who knows Serie A very well; he’s coming off a challenging season in Brescia, but we’re convinced he’ll bring us leadership and reliability.”
Massinburg himself is also enthusiastic, telling the club’s official channels: “I’m truly happy to join an ambitious club like Tezenis Verona, in a historic city with fantastic fans. From day one, I’ll put my experience and skills to work to help the team stay in the league. A big hello to everyone—see you soon.”
