Player Preview: Riccardo Ghedini

The final Freshman in our player preview series is of the redshirt variety. Riccardo Ghedini had been a rumored Wildcat for quite some time before he finally enrolled and began classes at Davidson for the 2022 Winter Semester and promptly redshirted for the second half of the season, following in the steps of current Davidson Big Man Sam Mennenga. Riccardo Ghedini is a 6’7, 200 lb guard with a 6’8 wingspan. Those measurables are tantalizing for a guard, let alone a natural point guard. He comes to Davidson slightly overage, a common occurrence for foreign players, as he was born in 2002.

Before Ghedini crossed the pond to attend Davidson he played for Milan's Pallacanestro Bernareggio in Serie B, the 2nd highest league in Italy. As I spoke about for Achile Spadone it is important to remember that while overseas, Ghedini played with and against grown men who were much older than him. As a result, it is not particularly elucidating to look Ghedini’s Italian stars, which were muted by his situation (2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 1 assist per game). Luckily though, there is a fair amount of tape on the Italian point guard. Immediately you can see his plus passing ability and vision, underscoring that he is a natural point guard. Specifically, he is able to use his height to see above opposing defenders and his length to pass around them (creating some unorthodox angles). Once he starts playing consistently for Davidson, we are bound to see Ghedini sling some fun passes around the court. Ghedini seems to have a somewhat unorthodox shooting form, but it is seemingly smooth and accurate and accurate from 3-point range. On defense he uses his wingspan to great effect, getting into passing lanes and tipping passes with little trouble.

I don’t really have a player comparison for Ghedini as I have never seen a 6’7 true point guard suit up for the cats. The closest thing I can think of is Kishawn Pritchett as the former Wildcat had great size and passing ability but even then, Pritchett was a true wing.

Overall, Ghedini’s size, wingspan, and natural passing ability and vision make him an exciting prospect for the future. There is question about whether he will be able to stay a lead guard on both ends of the ball however, as larger guards typically have trouble staying in front of smaller, shiftier guards who have a lower center of gravity (think Kyrell Luc on St. Bonaventure). For now, I expect Ghedini to continue his learning and provide a handful of minutes both on the wing and at the point. His extra half year and summer in the program does bode well for him being to contribute to next year’s team though.