© photo by Ceretti/Ciamillo
Italian basketball legend Dino Meneghin was a guest on the radio show “Melting Sport” on Radio Cusano Campus – broadcast on Cusano Italia TV (channel 122 on digital terrestrial) – the failure of the national basketball team to qualify for the Paris Olympics and the verdict on the silver medalist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics were almost cutting.
Bitter taste. “The Olympics, like the European and World Championships, are an international showcase: not being at the Olympics leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, because Italy has a great basketball tradition. Over the years, the strength of the opponents has grown considerably, many nations that were not so strong before have now become very dangerous. There are 11 places among the top in the world, 12 with the host country. For us, not being there means that we need to review all the work plans, understand where to insist, train the players from a technical and physical point of view.”
Psychophysical evaluation. “I think I didn’t have much time to work, first of all. Maybe the poor athletic condition or the tiredness of many players, for example the group from Bologna and Milan, who have played a lot of games this year, between the championship and the EuroLeague. The young players don’t yet have the mental, physical and technical strength to compete with the strongest players in the world.”
Roster composition. “Personally, I would have brought an extra big man to a team that focuses on speed, defense, and three-point shooting. There are Melli, Gallinari, and Ricci who are 4-5s, not pure 5s: they like to play outside but are forced to play underneath as well. I would have brought a player like Tessitori, who has done very well throughout the championship. An extra big man never hurts.”
Gallinari, Fontecchio, America. “Gallo has been playing in the NBA for many years, sometimes he couldn’t come, other times he came and unfortunately got injured with the national team… It has nothing to do with not having him in our championship, we definitely need Gallinari in the best physical and technical conditions. This year we definitely missed Fontecchio, a great forward, with power in both attack and defense. The fact that they both play in the NBA is a feather in the cap for our basketball, it means that we also know how to build world-class players.”
2024-07-17 00:49:01
#Olympics #leaves #bitter #taste #mouth #brought #Tessitori