Troubled waters in Triveneto: there’s a former national great for Trento’s bench

There are troubled waters in the Triveneto and not only for the dramatic, sportingly speaking, situation of Pallacanestro Trieste. If Reyer Venezia, which is also certain to play in the playoffs, will in all likelihood part ways with Neven Spahija, a revolution on the bench is also looming for Trento, with the farewell of Massimo Cancellieri.

A highly experienced coach should land in the lagoon (the names of Luca Banchi and Ettore Messina are being mentioned), while the Juventus club, which is coming off a season with ups and downs and is unlikely to be at the start of the post-season, seems oriented to rely on a rookie: Luca Vitali, who is currently on the staff of Vanoli Cremona coach Pierluigi Brotto, is in pole position over alternatives Petteri Koponen and Ricky Fois.

Born in 1986 in San Giorgio di Piano, in the plains of Bologna, and sportingly raised in the Arcoveggio gym, initially under the guidance of Milli and then Sanguettoli, Luca Vitali has roots deeply tied to Virtus Bologna, both in passion and in sporting path. His brother Michele, younger by five years, also grew up in the same environment at Porelli.

Playmaker of great physical structure (201 cm), Luca landed very young in the virtussino youth sector, where he shared the experience with his peer Marco Belinelli. It was precisely with the jersey of the Black V that he made his debut in the first team in the 2002-2003 season, a period in which a director of his same height, Frenchman Antoine Rigaudeau, a presence of great value even if only in training sessions, was also concluding his experience. After a wonderful career, which also led him to wear the national team’s jersey 149 times, he left playing basketball in 2024. And now he seems ready for an electrifying new adventure.