Farewell to Franco Casalini, the grief of Dino Meneghin

Special remembrance by Italian basketball legend

Dino Meneghin, one of the legends of Italian basketball, entrusted ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’ with his special remembrance of Franco Casalini, with whom he shared nearly a decade (one as a player, the other as a deputy and then as head coach) at Olimpia Milano.

“Terrible news, a punch in the stomach,” Meneghin said. “Someone like that you think is immortal. We used to talk by phone or with a few texts to shoot the b…ate as always, it was like in the 1980s. An intelligent, funny, ironic, self-deprecating man. And a great coach whom I have to thank for the years we lived together. A true strategist and a great motivator capable of keeping us calm or charging us when we needed it. A true friend who I will miss very much.”