Gianmarco Pozzecco defends Simone Fontecchio

C.t. “absolves” Fontecchio

The free throws Simone Fontecchio missed at 77-75, when the fourth period of Italy-France was about to end and the Azzurri seemed to have both hands on qualification to the Eurobasket semifinals, undoubtedly weighed on the final result. Gianmarco Pozzecco, however, wants to avoid casting the cross of defeat on the talented Pescara player.

In a press conference, the Azzurri coach was clear: “These are mistakes that can happen, even to super players. Our life is made of missed shots, what makes the difference is how you play, how you train, how you love the sport. Fontecchio will be making his NBA debut in a month and he will be great. Tonight he won’t sleep but tomorrow he will understand what he did in this tournament. Simone played MVP.”

“I’m very proud of my players, you can’t even imagine how much,” added Poz. “However, congratulations to France, who never gave up. But everyone has to respect my players, how hard they worked in training and in the game. Everyone gave 100 percent, I am suffering for them, not for me.”