Santiago Véscovi Explained

Santiago Véscovi
Position:Point guard
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lbs:191
Team:Baxi Manresa
League:Liga ACB
Birth Date:14 September 2001
Birth Place:Montevideo, Uruguay
College:Tennessee (2019–2024)
Draft Year:2024
Draft Round:Undrafted
Years1:2024–present
Team1:Baxi Manresa
Highlights:
  • First-team All-SEC (2022)

Santiago Véscovi Vannet (born 14 September 2001) is a Uruguayan professional basketball player for the Baxi Manresa of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Early life and career

Born in Montevideo, Véscovi grew up playing basketball at the youth level for Club Atlético Bohemios.[1] In July 2017, his performance at a Basketball Without Borders camp in The Bahamas helped him earn an invitation to the NBA Academy Latin America in Mexico City. At age 16, he began attending the academy, while receiving online education through the Apex Learning Virtual School.[2] In July 2019, Véscovi moved to the NBA Global Academy, a training center at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. That month, he led his team to the 2019 NBA Academy Games championship.[3] Véscovi was named most valuable player of the 2019 Skill Factory Tournament of Champions after averaging 17.4 points per game.[4] [5] In September 2019, he averaged 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Uruguay Elite Team at the NBA G League International Challenge.[6]

Recruiting

Véscovi was considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports and a three-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. On 22 November 2019, he committed to playing college basketball for Tennessee. He planned on enrolling at the University of Tennessee during the second semester.[7]

College career

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said in December 2019 that it was "highly unlikely" that Véscovi would play in his freshman season, indicating that he would likely redshirt to learn the system. However, with the loss of Lamonte Turner to injury, there was an opening for Véscovi to start at point guard.[8] He was cleared to play for the team on 3 January 2020. One day later, he made his college debut, scoring 18 points, shooting 6-of-9 from three-point range, in a 78–64 loss to LSU. He also posted six rebounds and four assists, while committing nine turnovers.[9] On 11 February, he recorded a freshman season-high 20 points and eight assists in an 82–61 win over Arkansas.[10] In a game at Auburn on 22 February, an Auburn fan was ejected and barred from future games after yelling a xenophobic taunt at Véscovi.[11] He started in all 19 of his appearances as a freshman, averaging 10.7 points, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.[12] As a sophomore, Véscovi averaged 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.[13] As a junior, he averaged 13.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Véscovi was named to the First Team All-SEC as a junior.[14] On 26 March 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[15]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2024 NBA draft, Vescovi signed with the Golden State Warriors on July 1, 2024.[16]

National team career

Uruguayan junior national team

In October 2016, Véscovi averaged 21.8 points, six rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, leading Uruguay to fourth place at the FIBA South America Under-15 Championship in Asunción.[17]

Uruguayan senior national team

Véscovi debuted for the Uruguayan senior national team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.[18]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Tennessee| 19 || 19 || 30.3 || .373 || .360 || .808 || 3.3 || 3.7 || 1.2 || .2 || 10.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Tennessee| 27 || 23 || 29.2 || .388 || .373 || .816 || 3.7 || 3.1 || 1.2 || .0 || 8.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Tennessee| 35 || 35 || 31.2 || .413 || .403 || .793 || 4.4 || 3.2 || 1.7 || .2 || 13.3|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| Tennessee| 33 || 33 || 33.0 || .396 || .370 || .775 || 4.6 || 3.1 || 1.8 || .1 || 12.5|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 114 || 110 || 31.1 || .397 || .381 || .795 || 4.1 || 3.2 || 1.5 || .1 || 11.6

Personal life

He is a Peñarol supporter. Véscovi's father, Pablo, played volleyball for Club Atlético Bohemios. His grandfather, Daniel Vannet, played basketball for Bohemios and for the Uruguayan national team.[1] His mother is Laura Vannet and he has a sister, Lucia.[19] Véscovi is of Italian descent.[20]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Benítez . Pablo . 18 February 2018 . De Bohemios a la academia de la NBA . 6 May 2020 . . Spanish.
  2. Web site: Wilson . Mike . 3 March 2020 . How the NBA Global Academy prepared Santiago Vescovi to make a splash with Vols . 6 May 2020 . Knoxville News Sentinel.
  3. Web site: 26 December 2019 . Midseason addition Santiago Vescovi set to join Vols . 6 May 2020 . Elizabethton Star.
  4. Web site: Sanning . Cory . 31 December 2019 . Vescovi Participates in First Practice Session with Vols . 6 May 2020 . Sports Illustrated.
  5. Web site: Glier . Ray . 27 August 2019 . A Gritty Guard Aims to Put Uruguay on the Basketball Map . 6 May 2020 . OZY.
  6. Web site: Taylor . Cody . 24 September 2019 . Santiago Vescovi credits the NBA Academy for growing 'in every aspect' . 6 May 2020 . The Rookie Wire.
  7. Web site: Daniels . Evan . 22 November 2019 . Sources: Santiago Vescovi commits to Tennessee . 6 May 2020 . 247Sports.
  8. News: Wilson . Mike . 26 December 2019 . Can Santiago Vescovi help Tennessee Vols this season? Rick Barnes will let him decide . 6 May 2020 . Knoxville News Sentinel.
  9. Web site: Lambert . Terry A. . 4 January 2020 . Santiago Vescovi gives Tennessee life in debut, but has plenty of room to grow . 6 May 2020 . Rocky Top Talk.
  10. Web site: Hughes . Marshall . 11 February 2020 . Vescovi scores career-high 20 points as Tennessee cruises past Arkansas 82–61 . 6 May 2020 . WATE-TV.
  11. Web site: Wilson . Mike . 22 February 2020 . Auburn student ejected for xenophobic taunt at Santiago Vescovi during Vols-Tigers game . 6 May 2020 . Knoxville News Sentinel.
  12. Web site: Santiago Vescovi . 6 May 2020 . University of Tennessee Athletics.
  13. News: Ramey . Grant . 9 June 2021 . Santiago Vescovi playing for spot on Uruguay's Olympic qualifying roster . 27 June 2021 . 247Sports.
  14. Men's Basketball All-SEC Teams & Awards Announced . 8 March 2022 . . 8 March 2022.
  15. Web site: Foster . Jack . 26 March 2022 . Santiago Vescovi to Enter NBA Draft Evaluation Process, Maintaining Collegiate Eligibility . 16 April 2022 . Sports Illustrated.
  16. Web site: Santiago Vescovi signs with Golden State. July 17, 2024. volswire.usatoday.com. en.
  17. Web site: Santiago Vescovi (URU)'s profile – South American U15 Championship for Men 2016 . 6 May 2020 . FIBA.
  18. Web site: 1 February 2020 . The FIBA AmeriCup will be a showcase of talents in the 2020s . 6 May 2020 . FIBA.
  19. News: Wilson . Mike . 29 February 2020 . How Santiago Vescovi's family planned a surprise visit to Tennessee . 6 May 2020 . Knoxville News Sentinel.
  20. Web site: Vescovi Name Meaning & Vescovi Family History at Ancestry.com® . 23 November 2020 . www.ancestry.com . en-US.