«We should be very happy for the first victory. We needed it, we really needed to get into the championship. It was a battle: this match makes it clear that it will be a very difficult season.”
Trento was cancelled. And coach Nicola Brienza, exhausted at the end of the match, indicates the right attitude, at least the recommended one, to have in this Serie A rediscovered after four seasons: «We must rejoice in every victory, because it will be a fight».
The coach from Cantù highlights a joy for himself and for the group, entering into the analysis of the challenge: «I am happy for the boys, who have carried out an excellent week of preparation. In the first 5 minutes, the ghosts of the last game manifested themselves, but we were then good at unblocking ourselves and growing especially in managing rebounds in attack. Some might think that the defense didn’t work, in reality they shot eight times more than us.”
Cantù has always been attacked in Reggio Emilia, also thanks to the defense: «We were good at defensive stops in the second half: we need to become more alert and cynical and this is what we need to improve. But when things go like this, when training resumes the players come back with different faces and motivations… Now, with the usual optimism, we will prepare for the home match against Trapani.”
Some ups and downs couldn’t be missing. But Brienza sees it differently: «We are inexperienced more than anything else, not young but with little experience in Serie A. The two Italians, De Nicolao and Moraschini, have changed the face of the team, two veterans who know how to compete in such intense matches. However, we saw quality, desire and great participation from the ten members. The championship doesn’t allow mistakes, there’s work to be done. But we always knew, even in the preseason when there was enthusiasm for victories: the championship is a completely different thing.”
The results also speak of the great balance that reigns, at least for now: «The teams are all strong. There are no matches that one can win or lose before taking the field. Serie A is like this, every player can make a difference. This is why I say that nothing is taken for granted: we must enjoy after every victory, when there is a +1 for Cantù it must be a celebration.”
A couple of jokes about Sneed: «He hasn’t slept for a week, he wanted to break the world. I knew that sooner or later his time would come and it did. Ajay also did well, he had an excellent impact with the Serie A. And Bortolani was good at giving us those baskets that we wanted him to take in that context.”
