Italbasket, Gianmarco Pozzecco betting big on youngsters

Captain’s armband goes to Pajola

Italy already has a pass for the upcoming European basketball championships in its pocket. As a result, it can use the last two qualifying games (Turkey and Hungary) to make some experiments and, above all, to test several youngsters who could be the future of Italbasket.

Blue coach Pozzecco, for this double commitment, has decided to leave several veterans at home and, at the same time, call many young people, called to prove that they deserve the attention of the coach of the National Team: "We have summoned the strongest possible team without veterans", the words of Pozzecco himself reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.

The reason? To also start thinking about the future: "I feel the responsibilityà to build something that can have a future and I am convinced that this National Team has it, even in an increasingly competitive" world context, always Pozzecco.

Lots of anticipation to see the many new faces at work, especially the young talent Niang (class of 2004, Aquila Trento), who greatly piques the interest of Pozzecco and the many basketball fans. The captain’s armband will be worn by Pajola, who is ready to celebrate his presence number 50 in the national team against Turkey. The European Basketball Championships are scheduled from Aug. 27 to Sept. 14 in Poland, Finland, Cyprus and Latvia.