Ettore Messina on the hunt for a 10th Coppa Italia

The words of Ettore Messina

The Italian Basketball Cup opens with Olimpia Milano opening the quarterfinals in Turin, taking on Trento on Feb. 14. Venice and Pistoia will face each other in the second game of the day. The two winners will clash in the first semifinal on Feb. 17.

Olimpia, with eight wins, and coach Ettore Messina, with nine, hold a rich palmarès in the competition. The focus now is on the first obstacle, Trento, an opponent that has given them a run for their money in the past. This match brings back old comparisons, including a championship final six years ago.

"The Italian Cup è a very important trophy that all teams care about, but right now everyone’s attention, including ours, è focused only on the first game. We know that we are the favorites in this quarterfinal, but we also know that Trento è a team well coached by Paolo Galbiati and with a lot of offensive talent. So we are aware that to pass the round we will have to play a high-level game", the eve words of Ettore Messina.