Gabriele Procida, Matteo Spagnolo contemplate NBA future, share admiration for PAO fans / News - Basketnews.com

Gabriele Procida and Matteo Spagnolo join BasketNews for a joint interview on their common ALBA Berlin stint, NBA dreams, top European players and Panathinaikos' fans.

Credit: Luca Sgamellotti/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Luca Sgamellotti/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Two players from the same country who find themselves on a foreign team's roster are uncommon in European basketball.

Matteo Spagnolo

Team:ALBA BerlinPosition:PGAge:20Height:193 cmWeight:89 kgBirth place:ItalyProfileNewsStatistics

What makes the case ofGabriele ProcidaandMatteo Spagnolostand out from the rest is that both Italian internationals have many things in common, apart from sharing the locker room atALBA Berlin.

"It's a new situation," Procida, 21, tellsBasketNews.

"We have always been very good friends off the court, and getting to play together seemed very strange at first. But we're glad we've been given the chance."

The two had been roommates for a month when the Italian national team was preparing for the FIBA World Cup. Hence, they knew each other and are now getting acquainted even more.

"It's as if the period of the national team was never over," Spagnolo, 20, reflects. "Just because we were together for a month in training camp, and then we continued our experience at ALBA. We're having fun."

Credit Regina Hoffmann/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

ALBA had been one of the most fun-to-watch teams in the EuroLeague for several seasons, regardless of whether they'd win or lose.

Procida, who joined the German squad in 2022, has averaged 6.1 points and 1.7 rebounds over nine contests. He's playing 16 minutes while shooting 35.8% from the field and 22.6% from downtown.

Meanwhile, Spagnolo came in last summer following a promising campaign at Trento (11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in EuroCup). However, he's dealing with similar shooting struggles (11.1% from distance), albeit contributing 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per EuroLeague outing.

What's more, ALBA have only won one of their first nine games in the top competition, which means they're likely to soon bid farewell to any playoff chances they might have cherished at the beginning of the season.

"Let's not

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