Virtus Roma, twist: Americans arrive.
The president of Virtus GVM Roma 1960, Massimiliano Pasqualini, announced at the microphones of Radio Radio Lo Sport the imminent entry of a new American minority partner in the Capitoline club. “We are about to announce a very strong American minority partner,” Pasqualini explained, stressing how the deal could open up ambitious scenarios even in the Serie A1 perspective. “He is a partner who will give us the possibility to dream big even in Serie A1. After today’s lunch the agreement has been finalized: all that is missing are the signatures and the announcement will come in the next few hours,” he added.
Just a few days ago Pasqualini had also intervened decisively on the rumors regarding the possible transfer of Vanoli Cremona’s Serie A title to Rome. In an official note, the president had firmly reiterated the club’s identity: “Virtus Roma will never be a satellite of Trieste or even less of Cremona. I read with perplexity some statements and I want to clarify with those who think they will get to Rome through agreements constructed at the table. Go your own way, but Virtus Roma will never be a satellite of other realities.”
On the bench front, the new entity that acquired the title from Vanoli is evaluating several profiles for technical leadership. Among the names circulating are those of Ettore Messina (leaving Olimpia Milano at the end of June) and Sasha Djordjevic, as well as that of Jurica Golemac, a Slovenian coach who made a name for himself at the helm of Dubai Basketball in the Euroleague. On the player market, on the other hand, the Capitoline club reportedly has Nico Mannion in its sights, a target, however, also shared by Matt Rizzetta’s Napoli Basketball, and is considering a possible approach for Davide Alviti, a wing with a long resume among Italian clubs.
The whole thing is part of a broader scenario affecting the entire national basketball movement, grappling with the debate on the NBA Europe project. The Italian Basketball Federation has reiterated its willingness to participate in the dialogue, hoping for “the reconstitution of a clear European basketball system” that also guarantees the protection of national teams. This is a rapidly evolving context, in which Virtus Roma 1960 – with a strong history rooted in more than sixty years of Capitoline basketball – intends to carve out a leading role for itself, building its future in full autonomy and without depending on the dynamics linked to the transfer of sports titles that are redrawing the map of Italian basketball.
