By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Ettore Messina has never been a man of few words but that was the case after Italy’s defeat to Serbia and the elimination from the EuroBasket semifinals.
“I think that the rebounding statistic says everything about the game. 44-19. It’s obvious that we struggled on the board. We struggled to defend inside the paint. They used their weapons, we tried to hide our defenses but we couldn’t do it. It was great summer for us. We had a lot of changes, a lot of problems. We made the Final 8. We always played with heart and desire. I can’t be anything else than thankful to my players for the effort they put,” said Messina.
“I want to thank everyone for their efforts. It was a long journey. A good journey despite the results. We should be proud of our work. You don’t win every time. We would like to. I’m the first that I’m very disappointed with myself. Because I am supposed to be better if we are to do something good with this team. Once again I’m proud of my teammates and with how we wore this jersey in the last month,” added Italy captain Gigi Datome.