Latest:
sep 16 2026Virtus Bologna had the toughest season of any EuroLeague team last year, and not just in the standings. They started the season with a depleted roster due to the club's financial problems, changed coaches after just a few games, and ended up relying on academy players to complete rosters.
A year later, the situation is different. There's a new head coach, nine new signings, and a project that looks like a EuroLeague team again.
The Starting Point
The 2025-26 season left them in 19th place with 10 wins and 28 losses and a point differential of -228, the second worst of the twenty teams. Virtus scored 3,110 points, among the lowest in the competition, and allowed 3,338.
Dusko Ivanovic took over the bench in December 2024 and didn't make it to the end of this season. The team competed in stretches, won on difficult roads, and lost many games where they ran out of rotation options.
The reference point was Alessandro Pajola, one of the best perimeter defenders in the competition. He's moved to Partizan.
Who's Leaving
Beyond Pajola, the list includes significant departures. Luca Vildoza also signed with Partizan, Momo Diouf was on the market for much of the summer, and Will Clyburn, Matt Morgan, and Carsen Edwards sought opportunities elsewhere.
The club shed much of the roster that finished the season, in a summer where the priority was reordering the salary structure rather than retaining names.
Who's Arriving
Nine signings, and a clear pattern: young players or those making their first big leap, with sustainable contracts.
At point guard, Marcus Carr, Trent Frazier, and Rasheed Bello arrive—three guards with different profiles—playmaking, veteran presence, and scoring—who share the responsibility left by Pajola. Wendell Moore Jr. lands from the NBA for the perimeter, and Davide Casarin arrives from Reyer Venezia, one of the most closely watched Italian projects in recent years.
The frontcourt is rebuilt with Bobi Klintman, who signs a multi-year contract, Kessler Edwards, arriving from Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Kevin Kokila, on loan from Dubai. Tommaso Baldasso completes the perimeter rotation.
On the bench, Àlex Mumbru takes on his first EuroLeague project after his time leading the German national team.
Who's Staying
Six names, and one stands above the rest. Daniel Hackett renewed for one more season and faces his eighteenth campaign in Europe's top competition, as captain and as the locker room's memory.
Also continuing are Matteo Baiocchi, young Francesco Ferrari, Derrick Alston Jr., Aliou Diarra, and Momo Diouf, ultimately renewed.
The Keys
Rebuild without spending big. It's the axis of everything. Virtus hasn't signed expensive names: they've signed players between 22 and 27 years old with room for growth. It's the way to compete again without repeating the mistakes that left the club without a roster last year.
Mumbru and the leap. He comes from directing a national team, which is a different job: fewer games, more preparation, and no rotation management across a 38-game schedule. His ability to extract performance from thin rosters is precisely what will be demanded here.
Three point guards for one ball. Carr, Frazier, and Bello are the three playmakers, and none arrives with the label of undisputed starter. It could produce a rich rotation or a hierarchy problem by November.
The bar. After 10-28, any improvement counts. But Virtus is a club with two EuroLeagues and fourteen Italian league titles, and its fans don't take well to transition seasons.
The Forecast
Virtus won't fight for the play-in, and probably won't even consider it in October. What they should do is become an uncomfortable team again, capable of winning at the Paladozza against anyone and not falling behind by twenty minutes.
The season will be measured on a different scale: Klintman confirming, Moore Jr. adapting to Europe, Casarin making the step, and the club reaching May with a stable structure. If that happens, the season will be a success even if the standings say 15th.
And if Hackett is still Hackett at 39 years old, the locker room will have someone to lean on during the bad weeks, and there will be some.
Full Roster
Point Guards and Shooting Guards: Rasheed Bello (1.83m), Marcus Carr (1.88m), Trent Frazier (1.88m), Tommaso Baldasso (1.90m), Daniel Hackett (1.96m), Matteo Baiocchi (1.96m), Wendell Moore Jr. (1.96m), Davide Casarin (1.97m)
Small Forwards: Kevin Kokila (2.04m), Kessler Edwards (2.04m), Francesco Ferrari (2.04m), Bobi Klintman (2.06m)
Power Forwards and Centers: Aliou Diarra (2.06m), Derrick Alston Jr. (2.07m), Momo Diouf (2.08m)
