Ding-dong, it’s time to dive without mask or snorkel in the big pool of EuroBasket 2022, and today we present to you a team and not the least: Italy. The Transalpins who will play without the attraction of the future Paolo Banchero who has other fish to fry, but who will play at home in the group stage and who will once again present an army of gunslingers ready to crack any defense a little too sleepy. Objective quarter-finals… minimum for Danilo Gallinari and his friends?
Le background international
The Italians have known several periods of happiness on the international scene, deliberately skipping a time when dinosaurs were still on Earth. In the 80s with a silver medal at the Games and a European title in 1983, in the late 90s with the final gift of a new coronation at Euro 99, then a few years later with the great Olympic history of Athens, finished in the footsteps of the Argentines with a new silver medal. It’s not “crazy” over half a century of basketball, but it’s already better than a very large part of the design.thanks to an Italian basketball that is constantly rebuilding itself to stay up to date.
The 2022 roster (one player still needs to jump)
- Tommaso Baldasso
- Paul Biligha
- Luigi Datome
- Simone Fontecchio
- Danilo Gallinari
- Nico Mannion
- Nicolo Melli
- Alessandro Pajola
- Achille Polonara
- Giampaolo Ricci
- Marco Spisso
- Amedeo Tessitori
- Stefano Tonut
A leader with Danilo Gallinari, a Luigi Datome always present to take in his shots and open his mouth wide for 25 minutes, and a homogeneous group and above all accustomed to playing this kind of competition together. We will especially watch the neo-Jazz Simone Fontecchio and sniper Achille Polonara, former Warriors player Nico Mannion – who has just had a very complicated year between COVID and the EDF defense during the last Olympic Games – and inside shooter Nicolo Melli, while Stefano Tonut makes us think of Homer Simpson and that Marco Spissu has a Corsican charcuterie blaze.
The player to watch
We could very well have told you about Simone Fontecchio, already because he has just signed in the NBA, but also because the boy had still sent almost 20 pawns on average during the last Games. But this time again we prefer to focus on a face we know by heart, that of Danilo Gallinari. Having become an infamous ball in defense but still just as icy in attack despite his slowness, the Dan has on the other hand in his boot (Italy, the boot, in short) almost all the existing offensive moves, except of course the rider and the windmill. A reference in the country and throughout Europe, Danilo has just joined the Celtics bench and will be keen to show his employers that he is always green (…) for one of his last major international competitions with the Squadra. World Cup in 2023 (if Italy participates), Games in 2024 (if Italy participates), and heading to an EHPAD in the Po plain?
Five games at home and then the dream is allowed?
Not insignificant fact, Italy will therefore play its five group matches at home, not far from Milan, not far from Olivier Giroud. Other useful info? Three of the five opponents of the team of this handsome mustachioed Meo Sacchetti (himself European champion in the year of grace 1983) seem to be “very catchable” nations. Estonia is the lowest ranked team of this Euro in the FIBA ranking, Ukraine has Alex Len as leader, Great Britain prefers football and beer, and the first place in this group could (should?) therefore be decided between Italy, Greece and Croatia, if Mario Hezonja does not take himself for the savior. Behind ? We leave Milano for Berlino and we cross in the eighth with the group of Serbia (thank you guys for not finishing fourth), and therefore potential opponents like Poland, the Czech Republic (warning danger), Finland or Israel. Enough to aim – at least – for a quarter-final without talking too much about it, and be careful behind because the cleaver matches are aptly named and this Italian team seems to have the ideal profile to create a surprise thanks to a propensity to light up at 3- points until death ensues, in particular to make up for a sizeable deficit that has become a local specialty for decades. Clearly, to stop Italy you will need a fire extinguisher, but it should be, shouldn’t it Mr. Batum.
The program
- September 2 (9 p.m.): Italy v Estonia
- September 3 (9 p.m.): Italy – Greece
- September 5 (9 p.m.): Italy – Ukraine
- September 6 (9 p.m.): Italy – Croatia
- September 8 (9 p.m.): Italy – Great Britain
Attention Italy, and it is not Raymond Domenech who will tell you the opposite. Always present or almost in the big meetings, the Squadra flies under the radar but keeps a few tricks up its sleeve to surprise when the day comes. Go to the quarters to try the robbery?
