Italbasket in Puerto Rico: Stefano Tonut believes in the feat

L'Italbasket è arrived in Puerto Rico

Repeating the feat of 2021, with Olympic qualification won at the last opportunity: that was the goal of the Italian national basketball team, which arrived in Puerto Rico to face one of the four tournaments that will each award a spot for Paris 2024. In San Juan, capital of the Caribbean island, the Azzurri will make their debut on Tuesday, July 2, against Bahrain.

"These are always special competitions,” said Stefano Tonut, one of the basketball players chosen by coach Gianmarco Pozzecco, who among other things is back from the pre-Olympic in Belgrade three years ago and the less happy one in Turin in 2016. Everything is at stake in a few days and especially at a very delicate moment of the season after the end of the national championships".

" We treasured the few training sessions we had and especially the two friendlies,” he added. “The victories against Georgia and Spain gave us confidence and made us realize that even if the team is not the same as last year, the group is solid and focused. We will also make the most of the last two days that separate us from the’debut and then dive headlong into a competition that does not allow missteps".

"It may seem like a triviality" but it would be a big mistake to underestimate Bahrain on the’debut. We haven’t done that over the years and that’s also been a strength of ours. The feat of Belgrade è still in our eyes and reaching Paris would be wonderful. I know what the Five Circles mean to an athlete" concluded Tonut.

In the initial round, in addition to Bahrain, are the hosts Puerto Rico. The top two advance to the semifinals crossed with the other group, featuring Lithuania, Mexico and Ivory Coast. Only the winner of the next final goes to Paris, the others will watch the Five Circles tournament from home.