Roster rundown: Umana Reyer Venice

This will be a historic season for Umana Reyer Venice as it marks 150 years since its founding.

As Reyer embarks on its fifth EuroCup campaign - and fourth in a row, Coach Walter De Raffaele takes a largely rebuilt squad and aims to at least match the club’s best result to date – a quarterfinals appearance in 2020.

BACKCOURT

Reyer has a deep and talented backcourt with many players who boast significant EuroLeague experience. Jayson Granger will play in the EuroCup for the first time since the 2010-11 season and in that time, he has suited up for four teams over eight seasons in the EuroLeague. He has also overcome serious injuries and brings a hunger alongside his leadership and playmaking skills that could be critical for Reyer. Andrea De Nicolao has been with the club since 2017 and serves as a classic playmaker off the bench. Combo-guard Marco Spissu was second in the EuroLeague in three-point accuracy last season (52.9%) with UNICS Kazan and his versatility is another weapon Coach De Raffaele can make use of in matchups. Scoring machine Allerik Freeman averaged 19.6 points in nine EuroCup games last season before a mid-season move to CSKA Moscow and should resume assaulting EuroCup baskets from Round 1. Riccardo Moraschini was the club’s first signing in the offseason. The shooting guard spent the last three seasons in the EuroLeague with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and will be a threat from deep for his new team. Small forward Michael Bramos begins his eighth season in Venice and at age 35, still provides outstanding defense and shooting from the wings. Jordan Parks, who will debut in the competition, balances Bramos at the ‘3’ spot.

FRONTCOURT

Vocal leader Jeff Brooks returns for a second season with Reyer. He did not disappoint as the starting power forward last season and can be counted on to make a big impact again. He will share minutes with stretch-4 Derek Willis, who has made 48.4% of his threes in two previous EuroCup seasons. Matteo Chillo, one of the few players on the roster without previous EuroCup experience, will also be in the mix at power forward. Together, Brooks, Willis and Chillo ensure that Reyer will always have the ability to crash the boards and open space on offense thanks to its power forwards. Mitchell Watt begins his sixth campaign with Reyer and has been among the best centers in the EuroCup in recent years. Watt will not have to carry as much weight inside thanks to two exciting signings. Amedeo Tessitori helped Virtus Segafredo Bologna win the EuroCup last season and may have a bigger role with Reyer. Yankuba Sima, who arrives from the Spanish League, could be a difference-maker on the glass.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Yankuba Sima is one of the few additions to Reyer this season who is untested at this level. However, the 26-year-old spent the past four seasons with BAXI Manresa in the Spanish League and always contributed on the glass. Last season he had eight games in which he collected at least 5 rebounds in less than 20 minutes and he averaged at least 9.1 rebounds prorated over 40 minutes n each of his seasons with Manresa. Rebounding is a skill that generally translates well from league to league and that bodes well for Sima and Reyer. Although he may not be a big-time scorer, Sima knows how to use his 2.11-meter frame in the paint and could emerge as a force inside for Reyer this season.

OUTLOOK

Although question marks often surround teams that sign nine new players in one summer, Reyer is a different case. The new-look roster is full of a healthy mix of hungry veterans with high-level experience. The new faces include a reigning and another former EuroCup champion as well as four players who were in the EuroLeague last season. It may take time for Coach De Raffaele to get them all on the same page, but these are players willing to sacrifice numbers for success and the combination of depth and skill level will make Reyer a dangerous opponent all season long.