Pozzecco sparks debate: Mike James’ jibe, Tyrese Rice chimes in again

Spicy responses from US players to the words of the blue coach

They are making quite a lot of discussion, on social networks, the statements that the coach of Italbasket, Gianmarco Pozzecco, entrusted to ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’ to compare the playing style of American and European point guards. “The Euroleague bigs – these are the words of the ‘Poz’ – have always had great European playmakers (…), the Americans have something less because they play differently, it’s natural: for example, they participate much less in the game when they don’t have the ball in their hands.”

In the hours that followed, the coach’s statements sparked social debate, drawing sharp responses from two players in particular, Mike James and Tyrese Rice. The former, at Olimpia in 2018/19 and currently at Monaco, quipped on Twitter, “It’s his opinion, I think it’s not correct”; the latter, a Euroleague winner with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014, on the other hand, came down hard: “What team does he coach?” he wrote, also on Twitter.

When he then received a reply from a user who explained that Pozzecco, in addition to the Italian national team, was also close to Panathinaikos, he added caustically, “At this point I can also coach Panathinaikos, he must have had 15 coaches in 3/4 years.”