By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After the national team break where Luca Banchi found two straight successes with Latvia in the 2025 EuroBasket Qualifiers, the 58-year-old head coach is back to EuroLeague duties with Virtus Bologna.
Ahead of tonight’s clash with Valencia, the Italian club’s CEO Luca Baraldi spoke to Corriere di Parma, underlining the impact of the former Milano and Siena’s head coach with the black-and-white side.
“He transformed the mentality of a depressed team from a technical situation which saw the group mortified every day”, he said on Luca Banchi. “Who was coaching these players was transmitting a lack of confidence”, he referred to Sergio Scariolo, fired in September 2023.
Luca Baraldi said that “the group was living a deep psychological distress” and that the delusion of the Italian Cup, losing early in the Quarter-Finals to Reggio Emilia, “is already behind”. According to Virtus Bologna’s CEO, “The moment of truth will come against Valencia“.
He also addressed the situation of Virtus Bologna’s newest arena. “We should be ready in 2026”, he said, underlining the strength of the club’s ticketing approach. “In Italy, we’re the team that cashes in the most, with 9.000-10.000 fans per game in the EuroLeague”, Luca Baraldi added.
Hackett and Belinelli back to the national team?
Setting the eyes on both the Italian championship and the EuroLeague Playoffs – Virtus Bologna is 5th with a 16-10 record in the European standings -, Luca Baraldi also commented on the leadership brought by both Daniel Hackett and Marco Belinelli.
The two experienced guards have been recently rumored to be called up by Gianmarco Pozzecco back to the Italian national team. “I hope this call will arrive, they deserve it. They’re two players without equals in Italy, I think Gianmarco Pozzecco isn’t too far from this thought”, the Italian manager said.
At almost 38 years of age, Marco Belinelli is leading the team in points scored per game in the EuroLeague with 14.8, shooting 41.5% from deep. Daniel Hackett, instead, is controlling the tempo as Virtus Bologna’s playmaker with 8.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.
PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna