Mannion is great, but that’s not enough. “Work hard and keep improving,” Magro sums it up.

At the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall in Istanbul, BC Roma kicked off its BKT EuroCup campaign with a display of character, though it was unable to secure a victory over Bahcesehir College. The team coached by Alessandro Magro stayed in the game until midway through the fourth quarter, before the home team pulled away decisively. Leading the way for the Romans was an extraordinary Nico Mannion, who stood out with 29 points and 5 assists. The point guard finished with outstanding shooting percentages: 7-for-8 from two-point range, 3-for-6 from three-point range, and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Mannion’s stellar performance, however, wasn’t enough for BC Roma to complete the comeback. The Roman team thus fell to Bahcesehir 78–91 in its European debut, though it left the court with some positive takeaways.

“It was our first game in Europe. The level of physicality and intensity is different from what we face in Italy. We have a lot to work on, but we’re heading home knowing what needs to be done and that we faced one of the best teams in the competition. We want to maintain a positive attitude. We have the opportunity to improve, and we will. We’re confident we can compete in this group,” said coach Alessandro Magro.