It was a MVP performance from Quinn Ellis as the Great Britain international guided Trento to their first ever Coppa Italia crown. Emmet Ryan on the controlled explosion the young man brought to the win over Olimpia Milano
The Coppa Italia has sneakily become the cool cup in European basketball. Trento, or Aquila Basket Trento to use the full name, became the third first-time champions in three years on Sunday. Great Britain international Quinn Ellis proved particular impressive in the comfortable win over OIimpia Milano.
This young man is good
At just 21, Quinn Ellis is impressing quickly. His 14 points, 2 assists, and 4 rebounds on Sunday don’t exactly fly off the page as stats. It was his good timing however that proved notable. A mix of patience and explosion that ensured Trento, save for the back half of the first quarter, wholly controlled the tempo against Olimpia Milano.
Ellis has been a full international since he was 18 but, fortunately, wasn’t in the EuroBasket 2022 squad for the Great Britain side. Considering the level of disaster that outing was, despite being in his second home of Italy, Ellis has been able to slot into the neater role of being the face of the rebuild.
For Trento, he’s the face of the present. Elite basketball in Europe right now isn’t an easy place for young players to stand out. They either go to the NBA early, end up in NCAA ball, or deep on the bench over here for the most part. True young talent rarely gets a shot. Ellis, aged 21, wouldn’t be considered a feral baller but he’s still on the young side for a contender to trust as the guy.
Trento the contenders
This is Trento’s first ever top tier title in basketball. They’ve reached the Serie A finals twice, losing to Reyer Venezia and Olimpia Milano respectively, but getting that first trophy can make a difference mentally.
The great Brian Clough spoke about players developing the taste for champagne. How winning one title can give them the thirst to go for something great. For Quinn Ellis and company, today is about celebrating a maiden Coppa Italia title. The Serie A crown is properly in their sights.
Trento lead Serie A and this is now their second dominant win over Olimpia Milano this season. If they face the Euroleague side in the playoffs, even the finals, they will believe that they can come out on top in a series. While the Eurocup campaign has been a disappointment, Sunday’s victory in Turin may just be the beginning of a most special season.
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Not ideal for Ettore Messina
It’s a day of celebration for Quinn Ellis and Trento. For Ettore Messina, he’ll be rueing his Olimpia Milano side’s failure to complete a potentially very encouraging week. Milano sit in fourth in the Serie A table at present. Had they won on Sunday then they would have beaten all three sides above them (the others being Virtus Bologna and Brescia) in the one week.
Just above so-so is how Olimpia Milano have navigated the season so far. That’s a significant improvement on where they were. Still, as a side holding the last play-in spot in Euroleague right now, they could have done with a trophy during the break.
Much as getting the taste for champagne can drive a team, failing to pop the bubbly can leave a mental haze. This was a dreadful outing from OIimpia Milano. They were clearly second best to Trento throughout and there was no obvious source of a spark that could save them. That’s far from ideal with a Euroleague postseason chase in progress, let alone for the Italian playoffs.
Quinn Ellis is a rare young star getting real minutes at the top end of European basketball. He proved why Trento believe in him on Sunday.
The Coppa Italia is really cool
For a long time, the Copa del Rey has been the unquestioned king of European basketball cup competitions. It still is based on how fans travel. Yet, the Coppa Italia is really giving it a run for its money.
Brescia and Napoli taking their first ever major titles at it in 2023 and 2024 set a tone that Trento have followed this year. Throw in a young talent like Quinn Ellis, shoutout to Sheffield, and it’s really coming together. The crowd in Turin was into this final despite the first half often being less than stellar.
Everyone wants the vibe Spain has for Copa week. Ask any Greek, Turk, German, Frenchperson, or Italian and they’d tell you the Copa is the goal. It still is but the Coppa is definitely getting there. The cool factor coupled with genuine unpredictability has made this a competition worth circling on the calendar early in the season.
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