Virtus Bologna, Baraldi clears Coppa Italia.
The words of Luca Baraldi
Interviewed in the “Gazzetta di Parma”, Virtus Segafredo Bologna CEO Luca Baraldi stressed the importance of tonight’s Euroleague match against Valencia: “Of the eight remaining, è a watershed: to maintain our presence among the top six in the standings and earn the possibilityà of direct access to the playoffs we would only need to maintain the same performance we have had so far. We would have to win four. It è not easy, but our team è used to certain pressures”.
Hasn’t the elimination in the Italian Cup left any negative dross? “No, è it is already behind us. The Coppa Italia comes at a time of the season where not the strongest wins but those with the best condition: the epilogue, with Napoli victorious over Milan, proves it. With Valencia it will be the moment of truth: the break è was healthy to recover strength and energy, mental above all. We want the playoffs in the Euroleague and the scudetto".
Of the many victories that have come this year, which one does Baraldi prefer? “Those sealed on the last dive. It is not è a random metaphor if we think of Hackett’s extraordinary athletic gesture against Bayern Munich, in a game that seemed lost. The successes that came in comebacks after being down 38', and it has happened to us on more than one occasion this year, denote an uncommon temperament. Two in particular, both with Partizan Belgrade, are paradigmatic of our path: the one won at their home, with a pearl from Lundberg capable of freezing the 20 thousand spectators in attendance, and the other in the return, at the Segafredo Arena, with a sumptuous ending that saw us at -7 with 2'46" from the siren”.
Belinelli and Hackett are the all-around leaders of the team: "Their experience è decisive. Let's start with Belinelli. There'è one fact about his career that is not emphasized enough: in addition to winning the ring, Marco has played 13 seasons in an NBA where the average lifespan of a "normal" player is usually 4 1/2 years. When he starts to see the basket, Belinelli has no limits: è an incredible finisher. Hackett I call him the lion: he fully embodies the spirit of Virtus. Of himself he says: "I can’t do anything well, but I can do everything well". His character makes the difference, Daniel è a leader".
The next step for the club è the construction of the new Segafredo Arena: “Work is expected to start in the summer and be completed in 2026: it will be the first case of an arena linking sports, exhibition and entertainment events in a state-of-the-art, high-tech facility. It envisages a mighty investment and the support of Fiere di Bologna. This synergy for us è a granitic certainty, without which we could not develop our businesses. Much of Virtus’ turnover è concentrated precisely in ticketing”
