Maxima Roma Gives Francesco Totti a Bitter Birthday; Cotelli: “We’re Not Ready”
Maxima Roma gave Francesco Totti— an advisor to Matiasic’s club, which, in its Serie A debut at the PalaEur, suffered a resounding 75-94 loss to Napoli Basket—coached, incidentally, by former Virtus player Jasmin Repesa. The legendary Roma captain celebrated his birthday in Los Angeles, far from the capital and also from the team that represents his new adventure in basketball—a team he had spoken of with great confidence just a few hours earlier. His statements were countered by those of Matteo Cotelli, which came after the loss on the court.
“Don’t think that soccer is the only thing that matters to me; I’m a true athlete,” Totti had told *La Gazzetta dello Sport* on the eve of his birthday and Maxima Roma’s league debut. My agent had been contacted by Matiasic, who explained what my role would be. So he called me and suggested I meet with him. I was intrigued by it all; I felt it was only right to get to know him. In the end, I said yes, and now I want to stay in frequent contact with the team—even on the road. After 30 years in soccer, I understand the dynamics of the locker room—it’s normal—and it will be a pleasure for me to share my experience with the team. And if they invite me to the derby on October 11, I’ll be there. Then, if they go on to win something important, they have my full support.”
The day after these remarks, however, came the 75-94 loss to Napoli. “They destroyed our game,” admitted Coach Cotelli. “We’re very disappointed, because we really wanted to do well in front of such a large crowd. We weren’t ready; we couldn’t control the pace or limit turnovers. I did like the reactions that allowed us to get back within striking distance, but we need to step up our game. A lot of people from Rome came to the arena, and everyone is especially disappointed because of that. We have a lot of work to do.”
This result is particularly noteworthy given the context in which it occurred: that of an ambitious project born from the vision of Paul Matiasic, who acquired Brescia’s sports franchise to bring top-tier basketball back to the capital. The president himself had clearly defined Totti’s role, describing it as anything but symbolic: “He won’t pick the players, but he’ll grow the fan base in an authentic way. He has Rome in his veins and in his eyes,” he told the *Corriere dello Sport*. A task that, in the club’s view, should lead Maxima to chip away at the support of its city rival, BC Roma, with the derby on October 11 already circled in red on the calendar.
Yet there had been plenty of positive signs during the preseason. In mid-September, at the “City of Cagliari” international tournament, Maxima claimed third place by defeating the French team LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 84–78 in an intense game full of twists and turns. On that occasion, Ryan (15 points), Alibegovic (13), Veronesi (13), Bilan (11), and Camara (11) were the key contributors to the victory, in a tournament that also featured teams of the caliber of FC Bayern München and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Those performances had raised expectations, which were then at least partially dashed by the league debut.
Looking at the rest of the first day of Serie A, Maxima Roma finds itself in the company of, among others, its city rivals: BC Roma, another team from the capital, lost Saturday’s game against Treviso 94–109. It’s been a difficult start for Roman basketball, which now awaits the October 11 derby at the PalaEur with even greater anticipation—a matchup that could already prove to be a watershed moment for both of the capital’s teams.
