Gianmarco Pozzecco: “Anomalous situation.”
Pozzecco speaks
The path to the EuroBasket games in Milan in September and before that to the two World Cup 2023 qualifying games in August starts as usual from Trentino. Head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco’s Italbasket begins training camp in Pinzolo.
In Val Rendena the Azzurri will have to find the right condition to face the four preparation friendlies (Aug. 12 and 16 against France in Bologna and Montpellier respectively, Aug. 19 and 20 in Hamburg against Serbia and then against one between Germany and the Czech Republic), the first two challenges of the second phase of qualification for the FIBA World Cup 2023 (away in Riga on Aug. 24 against Ukraine and home match against Georgia in Brescia) and above all the five games at the Milan Forum from Sept. 2 to 8 in Group C of EuroBasket 2022.
“In welcoming Federico Fucà to the coaching staff, I want to thank with great affection Paolo Galbiati, whose choice to try his hand in a historic square like Varese is more than understandable,” Pozzecco said. “The gathering that starts today should bring us to our maximum condition at the end of August, when we will have to face in the space of a few days two qualifying games for the 2023 World Cup and then EuroBasket 2022. An abnormal situation but one that should find us ready. A month-long gathering is long, our success cannot but come through group harmony because spending 24 hours a day in contact for several weeks is not easy. We have to be tolerant and well-disposed, sharing the desire to build something all together. In Trieste and then in Brescia the boys were wonderful, I am sure that here in Pinzolo I will find the same climate within the team and staff. Everything else will come as a result.”
Coach Pozzecco’s coaching staff will have 17 Azzurri available. Compared to the late June/early July “window,” Danilo Gallinari, Nicolò Melli and Nico Mannion return to the national team. With them also Gabriele Procida and Matteo Spagnolo, returning from their experience in the NBA Summer League after the draft.
Training will take place at the Palazzetto dello Sport in Carisolo.
The 17 Azzurri for the Pinzolo training camp.
#00 Amedeo Della Valle (1993, 194, G, Germani Brescia)
#0 Marco Spissu (1995, 184, P, Umana Reyer Venezia)
#1 Niccolo Mannion (2001, 190, P, Segafredo Virtus Bologna)
#6 Paul Biligha (1990, 200, C, A|X Armani Exchange Milano)
#7 Stefano Tonut (1993, 194, G, A|X Armani Exchange Milano)
#8 Danilo Gallinari (1988, 208, A, Boston Celtics – NBA)
#9 Nicolò Melli (1991, 206, A, A|X Armani Exchange Milano)
#13 Simone Fontecchio (1995, 203, A, Utah Jazz – NBA)
#16 Amedeo Tessitori (1994, 208, C, Umana Reyer Venezia)
#17 Giampaolo Ricci (1991, 202, A, A|X Armani Exchange Milano)
#18 Matteo Spagnolo (2003, 194, P, Dolomiti Energia Trentino)
#25 Tommaso Baldasso (1998, 192, P, A|X Armani Exchange Milano)
#33 Achille Polonara (1991, 205, A, Anadolu Efes Istanbul – Turkey)
#50 Gabriele Procida (2002, 201, G/A, Alba Berlin – Germany)
#54 Alessandro Pajola (1999, 194, P, Segafredo Virtus Bologna)
#70 Luigi Datome (1987, 203, A, A|X Armani Exchange Milano)
#77 John Petrucelli (1992, 193, G/A, Germani Brescia)
Pozzecco furious, photos
