Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris University assistant men's basketball coach
Mike Iuzzolino will have his No. 8 jersey retired by Scaligera Basket Verona Sunday, April 9, at its game against Treviso. The ceremony is the culmination of a three-day celebration to recognize one of the best players in team history.
A special commemorative limited edition T-shirt is also being produced for the occasion. The shirt features an image of Iuzzolino and his autograph on the front and No. 8 with his name plate on the back.
"It's a great honor to go back to a place that I consider a second home in Verona," Iuzzolino said. "I spent four years there, and it's a great city. For them to put this together for me is very humbling, and to have the opportunity to take my family over and have them experience the excitement that I felt when I played there, that's great, too. It's a huge honor and very humbling and I look forward to the experience."
Iuzzolino spent four years with Scaligera Basket Verona from 1995 to 1999, appearing in 106 games. He averaged 22.1 points per contest during his career while shooting 55.5 percent from the field, including 44 percent from beyond the arc. During his career with Scaligera Basket Verona, the team won the Italian Super Cup in 1996 as well as the Korac Cup in 1998, the first Verona sports team to win a European Trophy. He was named the MVP of the final in 1998 after scoring 18 points to lead Scaligera Basket Verona to victory.
The festivities for Iuzzolino begin Friday, April 7, when he will meet with fans at the flagship store Tezenis in Via Mazzini. It will be an opportunity for fans to get autographs and take pictures with Iuzzolino. It is just one of several events the organization has planned over the weekend to honor Iuzzolino.
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Iuzzolino, a native of Altoona, Pa., concluded his first season with the Colonials as an assistant coach in 2016-17. He helped lead Robert Morris to the semifinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament, the ninth time in the last 10 years RMU has appeared in the semifinals.
Iuzzolino began his collegiate playing career at Penn State before transferring to Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. In two seasons with the Red Flash, Iuzzolino scored 1,346 points. He was named the 1991 NEC Player of the Year after leading SFU to 24 wins, a school record, and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. During the 1990-91 campaign, Iuzzolino was the only player in the country to average more than 20 points per game (24.1), shot better than 50 percent (.542) from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc (.528) and 80 percent (.887) at the free-throw line.
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Upon completion of his career with the Red Flash, Iuzzolino was drafted in the second round of the 1991 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft by the Dallas Mavericks as the 35th overall selection. He played two seasons in Dallas, producing averages of 9.0 points, 4.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 122 career contests. Iuzzolino played two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) with Fort Wayne (1993-94) and the Rapid City Thrillers (1994-95) before heading over Italy to play with Scaligero Basket Verona.
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Story Photo Credit: Scaligera Basket Verona
