Anna Mellano lost her battle; she was only 17 years old
The Italian sports world, particularly the basketball community, is in shock over the passing of Anna Mellano. The young athlete from Basket Venaria, who had also made it to the national youth teams, passed away at just 17 years old after a long battle with a serious illness.
The news has deeply affected the entire national basketball community. Despite her very young age, Anna had managed to make her mark thanks to her talent and her passion for the sport. “She was taken from us by an unjust illness, against which she fought with the same determination she always showed on the court,” reads the statement of condolence released Monday by the Italian Basketball Federation. In July 2024, she was one of the standout players on the Under-15 national team at the Friendship Tournament held in Varese.”
“President Giovanni Petrucci, on a personal level and on behalf of the entire FIP, shares with deep emotion and affection in the grief of the Mellano family, her parents Danilo and Marta, and the Basket Venaria club. To Anna, who leaves an unfillable void in the hearts of her teammates, coaches, and fans, goes the loving embrace of the entire Italian basketball community,” concludes the Italian Basketball Federation.
Anna Mellano’s death makes an already mournful day for Italian basketball even more painful. At the same time, the basketball community also had to bid farewell to Maurizio Cremonini, the longtime national minibasketball coach and a role model for generations of young basketball players.
