Cecilia Zandalasini

Cecilia Zandalasini
Zandalasini in 2018
No. 9 – Minnesota Lynx
Position Small forward
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1996-03-16) March 16, 1996
Broni, Italy
Nationality Italian
Listed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight 175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
Playing career 2010–present
Career history
2013–2014 Geas Basket
2014–present PF Schio
2017–present Minnesota Lynx
Career highlights and awards

Cecilia Zandalasini (Italian: [tʃeˈtʃiːlja]; born March 16, 1996) is an Italian basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, PF Schio and the Italian national team.[1] She was the MVP of 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Women.

Early life

Zandalasini was born on March 16, 1996 in Broni, Italy. She is the daughter of Roberto Zandalasini and Paola Lombardi.[2] While playing with Geas Basket, she won six Italian youth club championships.[2]

Professional career

Geas Basket (2013–14)

At the age of 17, Zandalasini played as a guard under Geas Basket for the 2013–14 season. She led the team in points with a total of 314 across 20 games (15.7 PPG).[3]

PF Schio (2014–present)

Zandalasini has played with PF Schio since 2014. In Zandalasini's third season with the team in 2016–17, the team won the Coppa Italia and reached the Serie A1 playoff finals. The team continued to the EuroLeague postseason, where Zandalasini had a team high 13.5 PPG.

EuroBasket

At EuroBasket Women 2017 she averaged 19.0 points (2nd in event) and 9.6 rebounds (3rd in event)[4] and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Jeff Taylor of FIBA.com called her performance "the greatest FIBA EuroBasket Women debut of all time".[5]

Minnesota Lynx (2017–present)

Zandalasini guarded by Myisha Hines-Allen in 2018

With only three games left in their 2017 regular season, the Minnesota Lynx signed Zandalasini as an unrestricted free agent on August 28, 2017.[6] Zandalasini was only able to play 18:37 of the remainder of the regular season and 11 during the playoffs, which the Lynx won.[2]

On February 7, 2018, it was announced that the Lynx would re-sign Zandalasini for the 2018 season.[7] Zandalasini became a breakout player during the season after a buzzer-beating play against the New York Liberty in their June 16 game.[8] She has subsequently seen more minutes of play, establishing herself as a fit for the sixth woman role.[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ FIBA profile
  2. 1 2 3 "WNBA Player Profile". WNBA.com. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  3. ↑ "A.S.D. Geas Basket — 2014". playbasket.it. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ EuroBasket 2017 profile
  5. ↑ Taylor, Jeff (June 25, 2017). "Italy and Zandalasini win more fans after painful loss". FIBA.basketball.
  6. ↑ Youngblood, Kent (August 28, 2017). "Lynx sign Italian league standout Cecilia Zandalasini". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Lynx Re-Sign Cecilia Zandalasini, Add Lynetta Kizer And Endy Miyem". Minnesota Lynx. February 7, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  8. ↑ Mizutani, Dane (June 18, 2018). "Italian import Cecilia Zandalasini proving to be Lynx's best kept secret". Pioneer Press. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  9. ↑ Sinker, Howard (June 25, 2018). "Lynx battle in weekend of sharp elbows on social media". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  10. ↑ Martin, Sloane (June 19, 2018). "With the Lynx in need of a spark, Cecilia Zandalasini stepping into the spotlight". The Athletic. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
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