It’s Grant Basile’s big day with the Italian national team. The American from Pallacanestro Cantù is one step away from making his debut in Italy: what is now certain is that he will get on the scoresheet in the first match against Iceland of the qualifying window for EuroBasket 2025, scheduled for tonight at 8.30pm Italian time in Reykjavík.
Basile is ready and will be one of the eleven capable and eligible to be recruited by coach Gianmarco Pozzecco.
In fact, the other Trapani natives, John Petrucelli, Davide Casarin and Saliou Niang are unavailable for the match, three withdrawals which effectively open the doors to Basile and two other debutants, namely Riccardo Rossato from Trapani and Federico Poser from Vanoli Cremona.
Basile, born in Wisconsin but with a Sicilian great-grandfather, convinced Pozzecco with excellent performances.
He averaged 18.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in the league. The coach himself had had the opportunity to see him at work two years ago when he was called up with the “Green Team”, a sort of experimental national team led by coach Edoardo Casalone with the technical supervision of the “Poz”. For him two double doubles, both with 19 points and 11 rebounds, in the two friendlies against experimental Spain.
The presence of Basile, even just on the scoresheet, will allow the player to obtain the status of “trained in Italy” and for Cantù on paper interesting market scenarios could open up, because the club could grab another untrained foreigner. A matter that receives maximum attention and which would certainly not be looked upon favorably by competing clubs.
Meanwhile, with these two matches, Italy can qualify early for the European Championships. If things don’t go well tonight, Italbasket will be able to make up for it on Monday at 8.30pm in the home match, in Reggio Emilia, in an already sold out PalaBigi.
