Niccolo Moretti

Photo by: David Craan / Illinois Athletics

Played in 18 games, averaging 1.5 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assist s in 5.8 minutes per contest
5 minutes in NCAA Tournament Elite Eight vs. #1 Connecticut (3/30)
3 minutes in NCAA Round 2 win vs. Duquesne (3/23)
Hit 1-of-2 free-throws in 3 minutes in NCAA Round 1 win vs. Morehead State (3/21)
3 points and 2 rebounds in 7 minutes at Iowa (3/10)
Career-high 9 points (2-2 3FGs, 3-4 FTs) vs. Iowa (2/24)
Saw first game action since Nov. 19, with 2 points in 6 minutes off the bench at Michigan (1/18)
Missed 10 games with a foot injury: vs. Western Illinois (11/24), at Rutgers (12/2), vs. Florida Atlantic (12/5), at Tennessee (12/9), vs. Colgate (12/17, vs. Missouri (12/22), vs. FDU (12/29), Northwestern (1/2), at Purdue (1/5), and vs. Michigan State (1/11).
Tied season highs with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 13 first-half minutes vs. Southern (11/19) before leaving with a foot injury
6 points with 2 assists and 1 steal vs. Valparaiso (11/17)
Recorded 3 rebounds and tied for the game-high with 3 assists, while adding 2 points at the free-throw line in Illini debut vs. Eastern Illinois (11/6)

Enrolled at Illinois at semester break and practiced with the Illini during the 2023 spring semester

Played at the NBA Global Academy, a year-round training center at Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport
Competed in the NBA Academy Games in July 2022 in Atlanta, averaging 10.3 points and 3.5 assists
Following a return trip to the U.S. in December 2022 for the Tarkanian Classic, recorded a double-double in the G League Winter Showcase with 19 points and 10 assists vs. NBA Academy Africa
Helped lead Italy to a sixth-place finish in the FIBA U18 European Championships in the summer of 2022, averaging 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists
Top performance was 15 points, six assists and five steals in Round of 16 win over Greece
2022 high school graduate of DME Sports Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida

Born March 15, 2004
Enrolled in the Division of General Studies (undeclared)
Parents are Paolo and Mariolina Moretti
Has an older brother, Davide, who played three seasons at Texas Tech, helping lead the Red Raiders to the 2019 NCAA title game as a sophomore
Father played professional basketball from 1988-2000, including the Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna clubs, then coached in Italy for nearly two decades
Also played soccer growing up (striker)
Favorite athlete is Michael Jordan
Favorite team is Juventus
Lists his brother, Davide, as most influencing his career, “Seeing his growth and development inspired me. I came to the U.S. to watch his NCAA Run at Texas Tech, and knew I wanted to play college basketball.”
Chose Illinois because, “Winning is so important here. The culture is all about team and how to be the best version of yourself to help the team.”
Also noted, “I’m a big-time chef, I make great pasta.” (it was later revealed that Chef Nicco's secret recipe is Barilla sauce and noodles)