Luca Lechthaler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Lechthaler celebrating a title with Siena in 2013 | |
| Aquila Basket Trento | |
|---|---|
| Title | Youth Academy Manager |
| League | Lega Basket Serie A EuroCup |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 23, 1986 Mezzocorona, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Listed height | 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) |
| Listed weight | 115 kg (254 lb) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2008: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2003–2021 |
| Position | Center |
| Career history | |
| 2003–2013 | Montepaschi Siena |
| 2004–2005 | →Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari |
| 2005–2006 | →Carife Ferrara |
| 2007–2008 | →Premiata Montegranaro |
| 2009–2010 | →Sigma Coatings Montegranaro |
| 2010–2011 | →Naturhouse Ferrara |
| 2011 | →Umana Reyer Venezia |
| 2013–14 | Dolomiti Energia Trento |
| 2014–2015 | Sidigas Avellino |
| 2015–2021 | Dolomiti Energia Trento |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Luca Lechthaler (born 23 January 1986) is a retired Italian professional basketball player who now covers the role of Academy manager at Dolomiti Energia Trento of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A where he last played and concluded his career.[1] He played as a center.
Lechthaler moved from his native Trentino (where he had mostly played handball) to U.S. Piani in neighbouring Bolzano aged 15.[2] He stayed there one year before joining the youth ranks of Montepaschi Siena in 2002. The youngster won two under-16 national championships (2002 and 2003) with Siena, adding one under-18 and under-20 title apiece (2004).
At the same time he started to be welcomed into the first team, playing 2 minutes - for 1 rebound, 1 missed shot and 1 foul - in the 13 February 2003 Euroleague 112-49 blowout of KK Budućnost.[3] He made his domestic Serie A debut in the 2 November 2003 game against Metis Varese, posting 1 steal and 1 foul in 2 minutes on the occasion.[4] He barely featured in 2003-04, averaging 1.7 minutes in 6 games,[5] though he became a Serie A (first division) champion when Montepaschi won the title at the end of the season.
For 2004-05, Lechthaler moved on loan to Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari of the second division.[2] The next season, he was again loaned to another second division club, Carife Ferrara.[6] In 2005-06, he posted 3,8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game during the regular season, upping his averages to 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18.3 minutes in the playoffs.[7]
Returning to Siena under former youth coach (now head coach) Simone Pianigiani, Lechtaler was again Serie A champion in 2007 but was one of a number of Italians who barely featured for the side (averaging less than 3 minutes per game).[5][8]
Therefore, he again went on loan, though this time he stayed in the Serie A, joining Premiata Montegranaro for the season, with an option for another.[7] He more than quadrupled his average playing time with Montegranaro, to around 13 minutes in which he had 4.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals (for as much turnovers).[5] Despite his declared ambition to stay with the side another season,[9] Lechthaler returned to Siena in 2008.[10] A similar situation repeated itself for Lechthaler, stalling at less than 6 minutes per game (for 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds) in the league,[5] and less than 5 in the Euroleague (for 0.9 points and as much rebounds).[11] He was able to add three titles to his record, as Siena swept the League, Cup and Supercup.[12]
Again loaned to Montegranaro (now Sigma Coatings Montegranaro) for 2009-10,[13] he was less potent, ending the season with 2,4 points and 2.8 rebounds in nearly 10 minutes per game.[5] Though he again expressed a desire to stay, the club decided not to take the option on his contract for another year, with the coach reportedly finding him not dynamic enough.[14]
Lechthaler was then loaned anew to Ferrara (known as Naturhouse Ferrara, still in the second division) for the 2010-11 season, starting it in good form before a muscular problem hampered him in November 2010.[15] Another muscular problem in December sidelined him, he would not play for Ferrara again as he was re-loaned whilst still injured to fellow second division side Umana Reyer Venezia in February 2011 to take part in the playoffs.[2]
A return to Montepaschi for 2011-12 saw no increase in his playing time as part of a team that again swept all domestic titles.[16] He averaged 1.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in about 5 minutes per game domestically,[5] adding 2 points and 3.3 rebounds in about 9 minutes in the Euroleague.[17] The next season was eerily similar, with 2 points and 1.5 rebounds in about 10 minutes in the Euroleague,[18] and 1.9 points with 2.3 rebounds in more than 6 minutes in Serie A.[5] Lechthaler played a few minutes in the victorious Italian cup final on 10 February 2012 despite the death of his father earlier that week,[19] he played no part whatsoever in the playoffs as Siena romped to another title.[20]
In August 2013, the Trentino native - now a free-agent - joined Dolomiti Energia Trento of the second division.[21] He averaged 3.5 points and 4.3 rebounds across 41 games to help Trento earn a promotion to the Serie A.[22] Lechthaler would return to the Serie A with another team, Sidigas Avellino, in August 2014.[22] After posting a meager 1.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 25 games during the 2014-15 season, he would reunite with Trento in August 2015, signing a one-year deal with the side about to make its EuroCup debut.[23]
At the end of the 2020–21 LBA season he decided to retire from professional basketball and took the role as academy manager for Aquila Basket Trento[1]