Virtus Segafredo Bologna has locked up swingman Isaia Cordinier on a new contract until the end of the 2024-25 season. Cordinier (1.97 meters, 26 years old) is coming off his debut campaign in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, in which he averaged 6.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a 6.3 PIR across 19 appearances. The Frenchman, who won the 7DAYS EuroCup title with Virtus in the 2021-22 season, has spent the last two years in Bologna and will now continue to wear the team's jersey for the next two seasons.
Isaia Cordinier renews at Virtus until 2025
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His rookie EuroLeague season
Cordinier ended up missing the final part of last season due to a foot injury he sustained in Round 23 against LCLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. That injury came at the worst possible time for the 26-year-old, as he had reached double digits for points in three straight games between Rounds 21 and 23, having scored 14 against FC Bayern Munich, 11 against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and 10 against ASVEL. Before that, the only times that Cordinier scored 10 or more points were the 12 he recorded against Real Madrid in Round 5 and the season-high 15 he had against Valencia Basket in Round 8. Heading into the next campaign, Cordinier will be hoping to take his game to the next level in Europe's premier club basketball competition.
Cordinier's path to Virtus
The Creteil-born player started his career in his native France with Antibes Sharks in the 2012-13 season, making his debut when he was just 15 years old, and he then stayed for an extra campaign following the team's promotion to the French First Division. In the summer of 2014, he dropped down to the French Second Division with ALM Evreux as he went in search of more game time, and the following summer he moved to Denain-Voltaire, which was also in the second tier. Ahead of the 2016-17 season, though, Cordinier returned to Antibes in the first division, this time as a starter. He remained at the club until 2019, which is when he joined Nanterre. There, he got his first taste of EuroCup basketball, playing and starting in 21 appearances across two seasons. His averages were particularly impressive, too, as he posted 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and an 11.8 PIR in his rookie season before improving those figures to 15.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals and a 19.4 PIR in the following campaign. By that point, Virtus had seen enough and decided to sign him in the summer of 2021. Now, two years on, Cordinier may see an even larger role at Virtus next season, so everything is set up for the Frenchman to thrive as we look ahead to the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.