Sergio Scariolo, agent’s denial.
The words of Sergio Scariolo's agent
Massimo Zanetti, president of Virtus Bologna, during the presentation of new coach Luca Banchi, had attacked Sergio Scariolo: "We cannot forget the meetings he had last year with the Toronto Raptors and Real Madrid, having a contract with Virtus, as if we were his option B".
Sergio Scariolo's representative, Higinio Alonso, contacted by AS, has, however, categorically denied that the 62-year-old coach from Brescia'met with Real Madrid last season to negotiate his return to the blanco club, where he had already been'among others, between 1999 and 2002.
A few hours after exonerating Sergio Scariolo, Virtus Bologna had announced the name of the new coach.
Banchi was born in Grosseto on August 1, 1965, and began his coaching career in his hometown in 1983: after various experiences in Tuscany, he sat on the bench first in Trieste, then in Trapani and Jesi. In 2006 he began his adventure in Siena, first as an assistant and then as head coach. Experience that culminates in 2013 with the victory of the Scudetto and Coppa Italia.
Then the move to the’Olimpia Milano where he won the tricolor in his first season signing a record, since before him, no one in his first year on the Milan bench, è managed to bring home the title of champion of’Italy; in the 2013-2014 season he accesses the Quarterfinals of EuroLeague.
In 2018 he left Italy, coaching first Bamberg and then AEK Athens, with whom he won an Intercontinental Cup. In January 2021 he became Assistant Coach of the Long Island Nets, a Brooklyn Nets franchise playing in the NBA D-League. Last stops in Pesaro and Strasbourg where he leads both clubs to the playoffs. With the French club also an excellent European path ended at Game-3, which would have allowed the’access to the Final Four of the Champions League, eliminated by the future champions of Bonn.
Since 2021 coach Banchi has been coaching Latvia and leading it to its first historic qualification to a World Cup that ended a few days ago with an extraordinary fifth place, celebrated in Riga with a real state party.
