by Mario Boni.

I met Davide Moretti during the 1999/2000 season. Obviously,he was only 1 year old and he couldn’t play, I was playing at that time! Since life is a weird business and the basketball as well, I went to Roseto degli Abruzzi, called to replace Paolo Moretti, Davide’s dad, that he turned the ACL of his knee.

The club, that was playing in the League A2, gave me an apartment next to Paolo’s, because of that, the friendship between our families arose, thanks even to all the dinners as guests of mom Mariolina.

I remember really sweetly those days, because my son Giacomo had just been born (1999), while Davide, that is a 1998 born, was just a little bit older.

The season ended really well: we won the championship and Roseto was promoted in the League A.

I would like to think that we accomplished the promotion all together; Paolo started at the beginning, and then he passed me the witness, me with all the other teammates, coach Phil Melillo, the team manager Pierfrancesco Betti and the president Michele Martinelli.

Than life keeps going and, wonderfully, I met Davide on the court, a guy that gained his dad’s talent which he added a good amount of audacity, something that he will really need for his future basketball career. I have been watching him play, with leadership and attributes even within professional foreign players on his teams, and my mind went back when I was looking at him and my son Giacomo, playing with a smaller ball all together. My son just turned 18 this past October 1st and he wishes the best of luck to Davide for his journey.

Today Davide is in Texas, he has chosen to play in the NCAA championship. To share and stay in touch with people that already know him and try to let new people know about his journey, he has opened his own website. I have to compliment with him because it’s really nice and interesting, with a lot of informations and picture of his whole growth.

I find really accurate the choice to connect his impression and our thoughts as ex basketball people and good friends of his dad, because I think that we never talk enough about our basketball, and this website is definitely helpful.

23 years ago, in the 1994, I have crossed the Atlantic Ocean to play. I went to the United States because it was the only opportunity that I had to continue to play since they gave me a disqualification. It wasn’t easy, at all. I was emotionally apart, far from home, with people that weren’t doing anything to help me get used to a new culture.

My american experience gave me the strength to overcome my hard time and helped me to become stronger than before.Because of my american journey, later on, a lot of professional satisfactions have come.

Davide went to NCAA, he has chosen the best University among all the others that offered him a scholarship. Not a bad start! I think he made this decision because he wants to get better and try to get to the NBA. Honestly I don’t think he needs to sacrifice his talent, but work on his body to get stronger. I also think that his american journey is really important for the human side: being far from his family, in another country, with a different culture. I’m sure that is a great formative experience that would change his life.

Good luck then, Davide, smiling kid that played ball with my little son Giacomo, giving us happiness during our nights, projecting to win a championship that after all we won.

Strength and courage Davide, you also have a championship to win.

Mario Boni
Former basketball champ and League A top scorer.
Vice-President of GIBA – Giocatori Italiani Basket Associati.

FOTO
1997. Mario Boni, on the plane, returning from Turkey after winning the Korac Cup with Aris Thessaloniki.