by Angelo Costa

Have a nice trip Davide Moretti, an almost twenty year old talent that carries a suitcase filled with an Italian hope: to have another player. If not a player for its league, a player for the National team. In other times it would have been the least; now it is an urgent need since Italian basketball has reached the bottom of the barrel and maybe has even started scratching that!

With his decision, Davide is sure to have two benefits: to grow as a person and as a player. It is understood that an experience abroad changes a young man: it makes him stronger in his certainties and gives him strength to overcome his weaknesses.. Something true also for the player: Federico Mussini, a freshly returned talent, after two years in the US with Chris Mullin has said that now “ he always knows what to do” and he will do it in our Italian League.

All personal considerations aside, the departure of a Moretti is just another negative symptom of the Italian basketball and National situation. Italy does not offer much to the younger generation. We are always surprised at how, for example Serbians and Slovenians, just to mention a few, have so many talents, many in their twenties, in their National team, while we do not even have the courage to find minutes for our young players in our Italian Series A League. The league is now full of foreign players that only a decade ago would have been worthy only to carry the gym bags of our local grown players. It has become so clear that also those who govern this show/league have started to realize that the fans need someone to identify in and honor the Club’s name and history and to give it a future.

Now, on the other side of the “pond” we have half a national team of talents: besides Davide, we have players studying in Colleges and Universities as Akele, Oliva, Vercellino, Ulaneo, Binelli, Stefanini, Woldetensae, Badocchi, De Nicolao and Mattia Da Campo. Names that not many have heard of, but known to the coaches that have had a chance to work with them in the various youth NTs.  So many players note that it is not as hard as in the past, to cross the ocean to study and play. It also notes the great desire for improvement that these young men have, and that they cannot find here in Italy.

So, as in many other fields, also basketball talents are leaving Italy, and it is useless to put the burden on them, while those who should do something to keep them here, do not do anything.

Angelo Costa
Journalist
Il Resto del Carlino