There is the agreement for the winger that changed the season of TvB: he will have an escape in the event of a call from the Euroleague
/ TREVISO
He is a familiar face, the first hit of the Treviso Basket summer market. In fact, De ‘Longhi will be able to take advantage of the performances of Michal Sokolowski, the small Polish forward who represented the authentic keystone of the extraordinary 2020/21 vintage, for another two seasons. The player, who ended the playoffs in Italy and moved temporarily to Israel in the ranks of Hapoel Holon, has signed a two-year extension with the biancocelesti with an escape valid only in the event of a call by the Euroleague club.
Twenty-nine years to be completed on 11 December, Sokolowski had arrived in Treviso eight months ago, coming out of a brief experience at Legia Warsaw, after cutting the mysterious object Tyler Cheese and immediately proving to be decisive in the revolution of internal hierarchies. Taking the place in Jeffrey Carroll’s quintet, the Pole gave a decisive acceleration to TvB by acting as a defensive specialist, perimeter shooter, additional ball carrier and sometimes even as a tactical strong winger. The naked, albeit excellent statistics – averages of 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.5 minutes and a high of 28 points against Trieste – do not fully tell the importance of the player in the balance of coach Max Menetti’s schemes. Sokolowski had in fact been the necessary balancer, that element of substance and quality that allowed De ‘Longhi to ring the string of six victories in the spring that gave the Biancoceleste team sixth place in the regular season.
The excellent performance and solidity of Sokolowski did not go unnoticed. The same company from Treviso had already started a first negotiation for the renewal in mid-March, but was stopped by the uncertainty regarding the next season in a European key. After a solid year, the Polish winger wanted to compete with the double commitment that is a Cup (Eurocup or Bcl), a plus that Treviso could not guarantee at that time. The speech obviously changed in a month, when following the home victory against Sassari the sixth place antechamber of Europe was made official. The results of the playoffs finally confirmed the positioning, opening the doors of continental club competitions to TvB and facilitating negotiations for the renewal – the player had shown the interest of other clubs, including Venice. The excellent relationship established with the environment facilitated the closing of the operation.
With the confirmation of Sokolowski (who is the third foreigner in history to obtain renewal in Treviso, after Powell and Logan) the De ‘Longhi version 2021/22 begins to take shape. The next step will be to convince another important piece of the market, the Nigerian Christian Mekowulu. –