Paris Basketball dominates Virtus Bologna in battle of rookie EuroLeague coaches
Paris celebrates blowout victory vs Virtus in EuroLeague play
EuroLeague upset – Paris Basketball delivered a stunning 82-103 victory over Virtus Bologna in a unique matchup featuring two assistant coaches making their EuroLeague debuts, as Julius Thomas guided Paris to their most impressive road performance of the season with a record-breaking 3-point barrage.
This Tuesday’s clash between Virtus Bologna and Paris Basketball was anything but ordinary. In this bottom-of-the-table EuroLeague encounter (16th versus 17th), both benches were led by complete novices experiencing their first taste of EuroLeague head coaching responsibilities.
Both teams had dismissed their head coaches the previous week – Dusko Ivanovic and Francesco Tabellini respectively. Their assistants stepped up to fill the void: Nenad Jakovljević (Serbian-Italian, 37 years old) and Julius Thomas (German, 28 years old). It was the younger of the two – who also becomes the second-youngest coach in EuroLeague history – who succeeded in his debut, as Paris Basketball cruised to a commanding victory in Italy (82-103).
DEREK WILLIS, OH MY! 😤😤😤@derekxwillis powers through Virtus defense with a one-handed slam!#MotorolaMagicMoment @Moto | @ParisBasketball pic.twitter.com/wXRFZ1yD3Y
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) March 31, 2026
Record-breaking 3-point performance lights up Bologna
The former assistant to Tuomas Iisalo at Bonn stuck to his predecessors’ blueprint, but took it to unprecedented levels. Paris delivered a breathtaking performance with an ultra-fast pace and hyper-offensive approach, featuring numerous quick-trigger shots. Even more remarkably, this style was more exaggerated than usual, as the Parisians attempted an incredible 42 3-points (converting 19 for 45% accuracy).
This represents 10 more attempts than their season average (32.9), which already leads the EuroLeague by a significant margin. Pure shooters Sebastian Herrera (4/8), Yakuba Ouattara (4/5), and Daulton Hommes (3/3) were impressively accurate from beyond the arc. However, it was Nadir Hifi who finished with the game’s highest scoring output (20 points) and best efficiency rating (28).
Virtus Bologna, disrupted by their unexpected coaching change, struggled to contain this offensive onslaught. They collapsed in the second half, surrendering a 15-point swing (from 47-53 to 82-103). « I am very happy. Everyone was involved and aggressive. It’s not just me. With this team, there are no limits, our potential is enormous. We worked so hard in training these past few days… » appreciated Nadir Hifi.
Collective effort secures crucial road victory
Everyone contributed to the celebration with at least one basket, including Joël Ayayi and Enzo Shahrvin, who enjoyed his second-largest EuroLeague playing time (15 minutes, scoring 4 points and grabbing 4 rebounds). The 24 assists against just 12 turnovers demonstrated a well-functioning collective unit. « We have great energy all together. »
The two teams swapped positions in the standings, with Paris claiming 16th place, now just one victory behind Bayern (15th) and Partizan (14th), and three behind Olimpia Milan (13th), whom they will face Thursday in this Italian double-week. « I salute Francesco ‘maestro’ Tabellini, this one is for you! » declared Julius Thomas at the end of his post-game interview.
Paris now boasts a better away record (7 wins – 10 losses) than at home (6 wins – 11 losses) in EuroLeague play, a remarkable turnaround that comes perhaps too late in the season.
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