Basketball never forgets: a moment of silence on every court for Coach Maurizio and young star Anna

Two deaths that have touched the world of Italian basketball—and beyond: FIP President Giovanni Petrucci has ordered that a minute of silence be observed at all courts across the country during the games scheduled for this coming weekend. This will serve to honor and remember national team coach Maurizio Cremonini, who died suddenly at the age of 70, and the young Italian national team player Anna Mellano, who was only 17 and lost her battle with a serious illness.

Cremonini, a native of Brescia, passed away during the night between Sunday, October 18, and Monday, October 19. A national mini-basketball coach since 1981, he had dedicated 45 years of his life to teaching basketball to children and training new generations of coaches. For more than thirty years, he worked alongside the Federation, focusing primarily on the training and professional development of coaches, and his commitment extended beyond Italy’s borders thanks to his participation in various international educational projects and his collaboration with FIBA.

The Federation particularly remembered his human qualities: “The simplicity with which he addressed complex issues, the gentle humor with which he approached life, and the humility—yet also the confidence—with which he shared his expertise as a teacher, without ever imposing himself—we will miss these qualities, but they will guide us into the future.” Cremonini is survived by his wife, Rosi, and their two sons, Andrea and Marco, the latter of whom is a videographer for the Italian national basketball teams.

Anna Mellano played for Basket Venaria and had also made the national youth teams. In July 2024, she was one of the standout players on the Under-15 national team at the Friendship Tournament held in Varese. “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 Federation. Petrucci, speaking on his own behalf and on behalf of the entire FIP, expressed “his deep sympathy and affection for the Mellano family—her parents Danilo and Marta—and the Basket Venaria club,” assuring Anna that “leaves an unfillable void in the hearts of her teammates, coaches, and fans,” “the loving embrace of the entire Italian basketball community.”