Virtus Bologna will always be coached by an Italian coach since the club has decided to replace Sergio Scariolo with Luca Banchi, voted best coach of the World Cup. The former Strasbourg coach led Latvia to an astonishing 5th place, and a few hours after parting ways with Sergio Scariolo, the Virtus leaders rushed to sign him until 2025.
With the agreement of his Federation, Luca Banchi will continue to coach Latvia, and a few weeks ago, he rejected an offer from Baskonia precisely because the Spanish club asked him to make a choice.
“The possibility of returning to the EuroLeague at age 58 was an ideal situation. But they asked me to leave Latvia immediately. They wanted a coach who would be immediately available to build the team,” explained Luca Banchi to Tuttosport.
For the Italian technician, it is therefore a return to the EuroLeague after five years of absence. At the time, he was coaching Bamberg. Then he continued with AEK Athens, Pesaro and therefore Strasbourg.