Bad news for Italy, which will compete in a TQO to validate its place at the Paris Olympic Games, since it will have to cope without Simone Fontecchio. The player had already explained to Corriere dello Sport that his left toe injury, which deprived him of the end of the NBA season with Detroit, proved more difficult to treat than expected, to the point of ultimately requiring an operation surgical.
On the sidelines since March 17, the 28-year-old winger formalized his withdrawal for the TQO scheduled for July 2 to 7 in Puerto Rico via a message published on his social networks.
“Following the injury which prevented me from playing the last matches of the season, I underwent a mini-operation yesterday to completely resolve the problem so that I could recover more quickly. The operation went well and I am already on the mend. Unfortunately, this will result in my absence from this summer's OQT in Puerto Rico.”, he wrote. “Leaving the national team is a big regret for me. I would have loved to take the field and represent the blue jersey again this year, especially with a goal as important as the Olympics. I would like to thank Detroit and the national team who supported me enormously during this period. As always, I will be the guys’ number one fan and I wish all my teammates and staff good luck.”
Pillar of the national team, Simone Fontecchio moved from Utah to Detroit last February, and had shown his advantage in Michigan in 16 games with more than 15 points and 4 rebounds per game. The San Juan TQO will bring together Lithuania, Mexico, and Ivory Coast in Pool A as well as Puerto Rico, Italy and Bahrain in Pool B.
Only the winner of the tournament will join France for the Olympics from July 27 to August 11. And if Italy were to come out of this, could Simone Fontecchio lend a hand to the “Gli Azzurri”? We're still a long way away…
| Simone Fontecchio | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | UTH | 52 | 15 | 36.9 | 33.0 | 79.5 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 6.3 |
| 2023-24 * | All Teams | 66 | 25 | 46.0 | 40.1 | 81.8 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 10.5 |
| 2023-24 * | UTH | 50 | 23 | 45.0 | 39.1 | 80.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 8.9 |
| 2023-24 * | DET | 16 | 30 | 47.9 | 42.6 | 84.6 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 15.4 |
| Total | 118 | 20 | 42.7 | 37.5 | 80.9 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 8.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
