WASHINGTON – American University men's basketball senior Lorenzo Donadio plans to pursue an opportunity to continue his career in Italy upon completion of his undergraduate studies at American in May.
 
"I've been away from home for six years now, so it's about time to go back," Donadio said. "I talked to the coaches, and they were great. They were so supportive of me. They told me that at the end of the day, they want me to succeed outside of this program, and this was the best opportunity to start my career."
 
"We talked about his goals before the season started," head coach Duane Simpkins said. "The goal was to put him in a position where, when he is done playing basketball here at American, he can go back and play professionally at home."
 
Donadio, who had started just 11 games in his first three years at AU, started all 32 games for the Eagles in his senior season. He averaged 9.6 points per game, nearly tripling his scoring output from his junior season. He also tripled his assists total while doubling his rebounding total in Simpkins' first season at the helm of the program.
 
"In every statistical area, he has grown this year well above any other year that he's had here, and he has earned the right to play professionally," Simpkins said. "That's why I'm here as a coach, to try to put these guys in the best position possible so if they want to pursue playing basketball professionally, they have a good résumé for their first job."
 
"I told the coaches I'm so grateful," Donadio said. "They changed my college career. They helped me so much, they gave me so much trust, and they always supported me. They were the best thing that could've happened to me."
 
Donadio had the opportunity to represent his home country several times during his college career. In 2021, he competed in the FIBA Euro Top-18 Challengers Tournament. In 2022 and 2023, he competed in Italy's FIBA 3x3 program, leading Italy in scoring in the FIBA U23 World Cup in Poland in 2023.
 
Donadio, a two-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll honoree, will graduate with a degree in Business Administration – specializing in finance and international business. He plans to pursue a master's degree in Italy.
 
"It was a hard decision to make because of my teammates, my coaches, my friends … at the end of the day my life is here now," Donadio said. "It feels like the end of a chapter of my life, and it's not going to be easy to leave everyone. I'm going to miss this team, for sure.
 
"I want to thank everyone here at American. It's been great. It's been home. It's always going to be home."