16 years old, student of ISIS “City of Luino”Finance and Marketing address, a lot determinationgrande ambition and with one presence on the scoresheet among the Varese Basketball ranksin Trieste two weeks ago. Gabriele Turconiborn in 2008, has clear ideas and his dream is to tread the most important fields of Serie A and the Euroleague, the highest continental basketball competition.
The 16 year old from Luinoafter taking the first steps in the ranks of MiniBasket Luino, was contacted several timeseven before Covid, by the management of the Varese company for his talentbut due to the pandemic all negotiations were blocked, only to return to vogue, managing to sign a contract and becoming a full part of the youth sector from 2021.
Not only Varese, however, but also important experiences in the national teambetween the Under 15 and Under 16 teams, with which he played the European Championship in Greece last summer, carving out a respectable space for himself among the best young talents in Italy.
For this reason, even on the sidelines of the call-up for the match played in Trieste by Pallacanestro Varese, we wanted to welcome him into the editorial officeto interview him. Here’s what he told us.
What are your earliest basketball memories?
I started playing when I was 4 years old, in MiniBasketball in Luino. Perhaps the first memory I have is that of a 24 hours of basketball, on the lakeside, where I started shooting baskets thanks to my dad who was a director of the PVL… I have always been intrigued by it.
What team did you support as a child?
I have always supported Varese.
And in the NBA?
There isn’t a particular team, I’ve always changed them. Right now, though, I say Boston for Jayson Tatum.
Which Italian or foreign players inspire you?
I say Sergio Rodriguez, his personality and his technical skills are extraordinary.
What ties you to Virtus Luino Basketball?
Up until the Under 13s I played in Luino, for a total of 8 years. So I shared training sessions, matches, joys and disappointments with my friends from school. We were having so much fun… then the call from Varese came…
What did you think at that moment?
This is the third year that I have been in Varese. I was hoping the call would come, in reality the contacts had already been started a few years before, so it was a completely natural thing…
And what about the first call up to the national team?
She arrived in December 2022, with the Under 15s. It was a gathering in Novarello, lasting 3-4 days, but only for training. It was a very nice experience with 20 peers of the same age. We worked a lot on tactics and knowledge, it was really educational.
How do you find yourself in the Varese youth sector?
We do five training sessions a week and two games. The level is very high compared to Luino and it is very stimulating. I play in the Under 17s in the Lombardy championship and in the Under 19s in the Piedmont championship. It’s not easy with studying, it takes a lot of effort, but I organize myself according to my free time. I focus on books especially in the evening…
What do you take with you from last summer’s experience at the European Championships with the Under 16s in Greece?
I was called up on July 11th, but I would never have thought it. In fact, my expectations were very low, due to various injuries I had. I should have stayed out for two months, but instead they decided to call me up anyway. So we stayed in Bassano until July 28th, then we moved to Rome and then left for Italy.
What did representing the blue colors mean to you?
For me it’s a pride, but fortunately in situations of this type I can always be calm. Let’s say I have the right anxiety, not excessive. The European Championships were a satisfying experience, it helped me a lot to enter the professional world on a technical level, understand movements, technical-tactical organization, aspects related to concentration, sleep and rest…
Two weeks ago you got on the scoresheet in the first team’s defeat in Trieste…
It was a reward for what I’m doing in the Under, they gave me this opportunity and for me it’s a fantastic starting point. Of course, I didn’t enter the pitch, but I felt good sensations in a full stadium… it was fantastic just to warm up, for me it was very stimulating…
Did you ever say you could get to this point in just a few years?
Seven years ago I could never have imagined it. To think that on 28 October 2017 a Varese player took me by the hand, leading me onto the parquet before a match, and seven years later I did it with another child, well… it’s something truly remarkably emotional.
What are your dreams?
Being able to play in Serie A, and why not, also play in the Euroleague.
