Cecilia Zandalasini

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

Cecilia Zandalasini
Zandalasini in 2019
No. 9 – Minnesota Lynx
PositionSmall forward
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1996-03-16) March 16, 1996
Broni, Italy
NationalityItalian
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
Playing career2010–present
Career history
2013–2014Geas Basket
2014–2018PF Schio
2017–presentMinnesota Lynx
2018–presentFenerbahçe
Career highlights and awards

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 (2014–2018)

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
Minnesota Lynx 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]

Zandalasini did not play with the Lynx during their 2019 season due to her international team commitments and an ankle injury.[11]

On February 29, 2020, the Lynx announced that would re-signed Zandalasini for the 2020 season in a non-disclosed deal.[12][13][14]

Fenerbahçe (2018–present)

On July 4, 2018, she had signed a two year deal with the Turkish women's basketball club, Fenerbahçe.[15]

References
  1. FIBA profile
  2. "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.
  11. Youngblood, Kent (July 31, 2019). "Seimone Augustus near return, but Cecilia Zandalasini won't play for Lynx". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  12. Youngblood, Kent (March 2, 2020). "Lynx re-sign Cecilia Zandalasini". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  13. "Lynx Re-Sign Forward Cecilia Zandalasini". Minnesota Lynx. February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  14. Hansen, Mitchell (February 29, 2020). "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Forward Cecilia Zandalasini". Zone Coverage. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  15. Cicchinè, Giulia (July 4, 2018). "Zandalasini al Fenerbahce: l'azzurra ora in WNBA, giocherà in Turchia per vincere l'Eurolega". Eurosport (in Italian). Retrieved May 19, 2019.
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