Gianmarco Pozzecco explains the 'no' to Nico Mannion and makes a point about Achille Polonara
A few days from the’beginning of the training camp in Folgaria, a significant stage in the preparation for the European Championships, Gianmarco Pozzecco wanted to explain, during an’interview given to ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’, a couple of decisions that surprised fans and insiders: above all, the ‘no’ to Nico Mannion and the presence, among the athletes not summoned but available, of Achille Polonara.
“As always, I talked about it directly with the player – said the Azzurri coach, talking about the’exclusion of Mannion -. In the national team I don’t have to select the best, but create a team with an identity, sometimes even at the expense of talent. It is a choice, not a negative judgment”.
“I have had to make others – added Pozzecco, in his third major event as coach. after EuroBasket 2022 and the 2023 World Cup – and they are all functional to what is the moment, the other players, the space, my ideas. We did a lot of evaluations on the younger guys as well, so I always ask myself if a call-up is functional to their growth path”.
On Polonara, who is currently hospitalized to treat leukemia, Pozzecco pointed out: “He will give us concrete support: his knowledge of the context, of my basketball, of the whole environment makes him valuable for us. We will draw on his insights, his ideas, his analysis, and I am convinced that he will be an added value. He has lived this national team from the first moment, he has a complete vision of what we do. I want him to really feel part of the Azzurro” environment.
