Who is Achille Lonati? Meet St. Bonaventure's newest addition from the Euroleague

Achille Lonati is the most recent addition to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Although the team has not achieved much success throughout its history, it received a big publicity bump when the NBA's leading insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, became the program's general manager on September 18th, 2024.

With Wojnarowski now involved with the team, the Bonnies have the opportunity to bring in some higher-profile recruits. On Wednesday, it was announced that Achille Lonati had officially committed to the Bonnies. He is one of Italy's top recruits this season and reportedly committed to the Bonnies over several high-major offers.

"St. Bonaventure has landed the commitment of Italian shooting guard Achille Lonati, sources told On3."

Who is Achille Lonati?

Achille Lonati is an Italian basketball recruit who played last season for AZ Armani Exchange Milano in the Italian Serie A. That team is a junior version of the Euroleague team, Olimpia Milano. He then debuted in the Euroleague for another team this past season, appearing in one game for Olimpia Milano.

While Lonati had the opportunity to play in the Euroleague next season, he opted to take the NCAA path. He reportedly had several options available to him from some leading NCAA programs. According to On3, he received offers from eight teams in total. In addition to St. Bonaventure, Lonati received offers from VCU, Xavier, Georgia Tech, California, Texas Tech, Saint Louis, and Washington State.

What kind of impact will Achille Lonati have on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies next season?

It is difficult to judge what kind of impact Lonati will have in his first season of college basketball. However, there is no doubt that by joining a team like St. Bonaventure, he is giving himself a good chance to earn more playing time than if he committed to a team like Georgia Tech or Texas Tech.

The Bonnies play in the Atlantic 10 and finished seventh in the conference this past season with a record of 22-12. The team last qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2021, losing in the first round.

Lonati will likely be given every opportunity to earn significant playing time as a freshman. While Adrian Wojnarowski is involved with the team, and as a result, the team will likely get better recruits, it is still not close to the level of other top teams. By playing it this way, Lonati should have a good opportunity to showcase his talents.