By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Officially slated for an eighth campaign in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Maodo Lo switches from Germany to Italy and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.
Lo, 30, penned a two-year contract, the team announced Saturday, confirming the earlier report on the next challenge following ALBA Berlin, FC Bayern Munich, and Brose Bamberg.
Per the press release: “Olimpia Milano has reached an agreement until 2025 with Maodo Lo, a 1.91 mt tall point guard, born on December 31, 1992, in Berlin, coming from three seasons with Alba Berlin.
“Maodo Lo is an athletic player, a shooter with great EuroLeague experience under his belt, who we know well and will bring speed, explosiveness and reliability to our team,” says general manager Christos Stavropoulos.
“I’m happy to join such a prestigious and winning club like Olimpia. I’m excited to face this new challenge, in a first-class organization and with an experienced coach like Ettore Messina. This is a new chapter in my career and I’m glad to live it in Milan,” Maodo Lo said.
WHO MAODO LO IS – Born in Berlin, of Senegalese origin coming from his father’s side, Maodo Lo moved to the United States to attend the Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Massachusetts. Eventually, he spent four years at Columbia University in New York. He finished his college career as Columbia’s third-best scorer ever and the all-time three-point field goals made leader. In 2014 he was included in the All-Ivy League second team, in 2015 and 2016 he was named to the first team. In 121 appearances for Columbia, he averaged 14.5 points per game and 40.0 percent on three-point shooting. In 2015/16 he led the Ivy League in steals; in 2014/15 he was the conference’s leading scorer (18.4 points per game). At the end of his American experience, he played seven consecutive seasons in the EuroLeague, two at Bamberg, two at Bayern and three at Alba Berlin. He won the German championship four times, with Bamberg in 2017, with Bayern in 2019, with Alba in 2021 and 2022. He helped his team win the German Cup in 2017 and 2022 (MVP of the competition). His best season was 2021/22, when he averaged 13.3 points per game, he shot 44.3 percent on threes, 83.5 percent on free throws and averaged 3.7 assists per game. In 2022/23 he averaged 11.6 points per game with 2.9 assists. He played in the 2021 Olympics, the 2019 World Cup and won the bronze medal at the 2022 European Championships.
NOTES – In the 2021/22 season he was the EuroLeague MVP for the Round 29. In 2015 he won the silver medal at the World University Games.”
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net