Basket 3×3: Italy women return to the World Cup. 2023 for a new beginning

If 2018 had been the big year, 2023 may prove to be something of a new beginning. Women’s Italy is trying to regain places that matter in the panorama of 3×3 basketball, after years which, between Covid and the inevitable difficulties with the many changes within the roster, have not been exactly easy to live.

It will be a team, the one led by Andrea Capobianco, with Rae Lin D’Alie as a full-blown trait d’union between two eras, that of the gold of Manila and that in which a real new group is being formed. The current one, with Sara Madera, Chiara Consolini, Beatrice Del Pero, Giuditta Nicolodi and Debora Carangelo who enter the scene with greater or lesser rotation, has essentially been “active” for an abundant year, with what sounds like a clear project that he wants to take far.

Meanwhile, this world championship review is the primary objective, which will be promptly followed by the qualifications for the European Championships in Constanta (Constanza), in Romania, just the week following the world tournament. The focus is now clearly on the world championship, where the Azzurri have been drawn against teams that are intriguing in their own way.

Basketball 3×3, World Cup 2023: Vienna’s Rathausplatz welcomes the best

In particular, tomorrow’s debut (Wednesday 31) against Romania (11:25), will be difficult because the Romanians, while not fielding superstars, always have an important solidity. It will then be the turn of Lithuania, with Giedre Labuckiene and Gabriele Sulske to fill the roles of veterans. Of the Lithuanian selection we have seen in Italy Kamile Nacickaiteat CUS Chieti in the 2012-2013 year.

Friday 2nd, on the other hand, will be the time to play against China, a perennial mysterious object which, however, has never reached the podium in a world championship key. Israel, on the other hand, chooses the rather young line with the beacon of experience that it is Drew Edelman.

The really important side of these World Cups is that there is a real play-in, barrages that sound like real round of 16 involving the second and third of the groups. Italy, possibly, given that it is in group D, crosses group A, which to define as fire is also an understatement: there are France, Holland and Spain and there is also Austria, the hostess. In short, it would be worthwhile to a certain extent to try a direct assault on first place, which is worth accessing the quarter-finals without having to risk playing two games on Saturday.

What filters through from the blue group, however, has a name and it’s called trust. All this despite a friendly tournament in St. Polten which recorded one win and two losses. However, the preparation is still in full swing, and there is really a lot of attention in the eyes and minds of the Azzurri. From tomorrow, however, the pitch will do the talking. And, who knows, it’s not even excluded that a new, beautiful story could be written.

Photo: fiba3x3.com