Kevin Bruno Fanceschi (born 5 October 1993) is a French-Moroccan basketball player. He is a 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) small forward, and plays for the Morocco national team. Franceschi is most known for winning gold at 2023 FIBA AfroCan with Morocco,[1] and winning the tournament's MVP award.[2]

Kevin Franceschi
No. 0 – FUS Rabat
PositionSmall forward
LeagueDivision Excellence
Personal information
Born (1993-10-05) 5 October 1993 (age 30)
Argenteuil, France
NationalityMoroccan / French
Listed height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Listed weight86 kg (190 lb)
Career information
High schoolLycée Romain Rolland
CollegeOklahoma Baptist (2016–2017)
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Career history
2017-2018Real Murcia
2018-2019Agriniou
2020-2021Paris Basketball
2021-2022Brussels
2022AMI Basket
2022Ittihad Tanger
2022-presentFUS Rabat
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Morocco
FIBA AfroCan
Gold medal – first place Angola 2023

Early life and college career edit

Born in Argenteuil, a commune in Île-de-France, Franceschi's mother is Moroccan and his father Italian. He grew up in Argenteuil, where there is large Moroccan community, and spent his summers in Agadir.

He attended high school at the Lycée Romain Rolland. He attended the University of Missouri–Kansas City in the United States, combining his studies in marketing management with basketball. In the 2016–17 season, he played for the Oklahoma Baptist Bison of the Oklahoma Baptist University.[3]

Professional career edit

Franceschi started his pro career in 2017 with Real Murcia Baloncesto of the LEB Plata, the Spanish third level. The following year, he played in Greece for Agriniou B.C. in the Greek A2 and averaged career-high 16.5 points per game.[4]

In the 2020–21 season, he played his first season in his native France with Paris Basketball, appearing in 11 games in the LNB Pro B.

Franceschi signed with Brussels of the Belgian BNXT League for the 2022–23 season.[5] In February 2023, Franceschi left Brussels to play in Morocco, in the top-flight league Division Excellence. He started out with AMI Basket, however the team was forced to suspend its operations. Franceschi moved to Ittihad Tanger, he won the Moroccan Throne Cup in 2022. With FUS Rabat, he won the 2023 national championship which was the team's first since a 19-year drought.

National team career edit

Franceschi[6] is most known for winning gold at 2023 FIBA AfroCan with Morocco,[1] and winning the tournament's MVP award.[2] He averaged 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3 assists per game.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Morocco win the 2023 FIBA AfroCan". FIBA.basketball. 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "MVP Franceschi headlines the 2023 FIBA AfroCan All-Tournament Team". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Kevin Franceschi - 2016-17 - Men's Basketball". Oklahoma Baptist University Athletics. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  4. ^ Proballers. "Kevin Franceschi, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Kevin Franceschi naar Brussels". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 8 October 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  6. ^ MATIN, Amine El Amri, LE. "Portrait: Kevin Franceschi, le nouveau visage du basket marocain". lematin.ma (in French). Retrieved 29 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Kevin Bruno FRANCESCHI at the FIBA AfroCAN 2023". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 29 July 2023.