Under 18 on the podium at the European Championships, coach Marco Sodini explains the secret of the young Azzurri

Beating the Latvia age group peers 86-68, the Under 18 men’s national basketball team won the bronze medal at the European Championships in their category, held in Serbia and won by Spain (82-81 against France). For basketball Italy, it is the second continental podium in just a few days, after the gold won by the Under 20 in Greece.

Coach Marco Sodini tried to explain all the hard work, on and off the court, that has led to this fine result: “A group of fantastic players from the first day of the gathering – said the coach from Viareggio, at the helm of the Azzurri Under 18 from 2023 -, with an inner exceptionalism that goes far beyond the obvious basketball qualities”.

Then a message addressed directly to the fans: “I would like to see in this world a confrontation with the spirit seen these days in Belgrade, with the values brought on the court by my team. We think too much about things and not enough about people, I dream of a world in which children dream of playing with their national team instead of having to worry about anything else”.

Finally, a small regret about the lost semifinal: “We played the best basketball of the European, it is common opinion, there remains some regret for the game with Spain but still we bring home a great result, even today at the end of a game that was never in question. Seven games in nine days, all of the highest mental, tactical and technical level”.