Brindisi, Bruno Mascolo on the trail of Peppe Poeta
Mascolo on the trail of Poet
From the backyards of Castellamare di Stabia, to the top of the Italian top league. And it is no coincidence that Bruno Mascolo’s story starts from there, from the backyards of that town in the province of Naples of just over 60,000 inhabitants that gave rise to two star blue point guards in recent years, albeit from two different generations. Peppe Poeta, just retired from playing basketball, and Bruno Mascolo, ready to pick up the baton made in Castellamare for the A League.
“I remember when I started out playing in my backyard, where we had the hoop,” says the class of ’96, “we would do an hour and a half there in the backyard and then to the court for another hour and a half of practice, come back and play again. We were always with a basketball in our hands. I don’t regret anything from that time, and the friendships I developed at that time I still carry all of them with me, and they have indeed been strengthened over time.”
The first real crucial passage in Bruno’s life is at age 15, when he decides to move to Turin to devote himself heart and soul to basketball. His debut in A2 took place with coach Pillastrini in front of more than three thousand people, the one in Serie A four years later would take place against Milan showing tough face and personality: stuff for the few, not for weak hearts. During his experiences between Agrigento, Latina, Siena, Napoli and Jesi he adds more and more technical and basketball background to his rich background, but it is with the blue jersey of Italy that he completes the youth path and more. In 2014 he was part of the Under18 selection that won the gold medal at the Mannheim tournament, beating the United States of America in the final. A feat that to this day remains fixed and indelible.
In 2019 in his Naples he participated in the Universiade: “In front of my friends, my family and the 45,000 at the San Paolo on the day of the opening ceremony. I get chills just thinking back, a unique emotion.” Shortly afterwards he left for China to play the World 3 vs 3, something abnormal for a professional player at good levels but which turned out to be an extra quid: “A completely different sport especially in preparation and one-on-one contacts,” says the now former Tortona player, “it helped me a lot and made me grow in readings and quick decisions to make, it definitely influenced the way I play. And then we ranked ourselves among the best eight in the world.”
A lion and as such he landed in Tortona, a team in which he would change his basketball life, winning a Supercup and above all winning promotion to Serie A as MVP of the semifinal and final Scudetto won in game 5 in Turin where he scored 20 decisive points. And the continuation we know him well in the year just ended, starring on the court in the path of the real surprise of the championship with the Italian Cup final and the Scudetto semifinal.
“I received so many doors in my face but I never gave up, in fact the disappointments made me stronger. The approach to the senior world was very hard but having worked hard paid off,” Mascolo concluded.
