By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – Italy is just a few hours away from one of the most important games in its basketball history, facing the United States in the Quarter-Finals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Azzurri’s coaching staff can also count on a familiar face for the American landscape.
Former player development coach of the Phoenix Suns and assistant coach for the Arizona Wildcats, Riccardo Fois is next to Giuseppe Poeta, Edoardo Casalone, and Federico Fucà on Gianmarco Pozzecco’s coaching staff.
Talking with the Italian media in Manila, the 36-year-old talked about his emotions heading into the game. “It’s surely a different feeling, because I know a lot of people on their staff and who are playing with whom I’ve worked, sharing a lot of moments. There’s always stronger emotion from that point of view, but taking personal considerations aside, this is a great opportunity for Italian basketball. We face a really high-level team, which lost against Lithuania but can count on future All-Star or Hall of Fame players. We have the opportunity to show our basketball style, which is what we’ve done for two years now, against one of the best teams in the world, maybe the best one when they play with a certain level of concentration. Can you think of a better challenge to grow?”, he first said.
Having the pressure of playing such an important game ahead, players could have the instinct of showing themselves more on the big stage. And this is basically impossible to prepare. “It’s difficult to coach such a thing. At the end of the day, playing these kinds of games is real practice. When we talk about a cycle, such as Spain or France, which have been dominating worldwide European basketball in the past few years, it’s about teams that year after year have been doing this type of games in such deep competitions: Quarter-Finals, Semifinals, and Finals. This is something you can’t really train, and there’s nothing that can simulate a game against the USA”, Riccardo Fois added.
During the Group Stage, the American national team’s head coach Steve Kerr said the assistant coaches had to prepare one game each. “It’s an NBA approach, but there are a lot of EuroLeague teams that work similarly. Taking the three assistant coaches aside – Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue, and Mark Few -, they also have Jeff van Gundy and Chip Engelland in their scouting department. It’s a first-level staff. They have their working methods, which surely demonstrated to bring them to success as years passed by. I don’t know who will have our game… in my eyes, it’s Spoelstra”, he said. “He surely didn’t sleep last night”, he joked.
𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗗. #Italbasket | #FIBAWC #WinForItalia pic.twitter.com/qj9nOiFoBF
— Italbasket (@Italbasket) August 9, 2023
Going on to speak about the game, he touched on the most important players on their side. “Anthony Edwards is having an outstanding World Cup, so it will be banal to say him. In my eyes, there are two key players. The first one is Jalen Brunson because he has played with all young national teams, he won the U19 World Cup, he’s a player who relies on fundamentals, and he’s the reason why Team USA plays in a certain way. I heard his words following the loss against Lithuania and he took full responsibility for that opening stretch. The other one is Jaren Jackson Jr., who’s the only real 5 with experience that he has on board. They were up by 20 points when he was on the court against Lithuania”, Fois said.
Talking about tactical sides, which is home to Riccardo Fois, Italy’s assistant coach pointed out a common factor between all qualified teams to the Quarter-Finals. “The great thing about the World Cup is that it has a lot of different styles. There are Canada and the USA, who both play a little bit more individually. There’s Lithuania’s, which relies on continuity, a team that is moving and playing a lot with all players on the court. I’d say a common factor is physicality. Teams like Lithuania, Germany, and all the others who came to this point have strong and physical athletes. Moreover, they have roster continuity”, the 38-year-old coach added.
“One of the things Sasha Djordjevic told us when we played China is that we are great on positional size: when we play with Pajola, Tonut, and usually Fontecchio at the 2 and Datome at the 3, we take advantages physical-wise. In modern basketball, this helps a lot. When you occupy the court better, you dominate on boards, you help yourself better defensively, and you occupy the space better. This is one of the advantages we have”, he also said on the Italian national team’s strength.
Finally, he was asked if he imagined prior to the start of the 2023 FIBA World Cup facing Mikal Bridges, with whom he has worked during his time with the Phoenix Suns. “I would have liked to face them in the final more than in the Quarter-Finals, especially winning the Group Phase. I think that’s beautiful, not only for me but for all of our guys. There are former teammates of Nicolò Melli and Simone Fontecchio. For me, it will be an amazing feeling seeing once again Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Mark Few, and Steve Kerr, who’s an Arizona Wildcat and therefore is family now. That’s the beauty of these competitions”, Riccardo Fois added.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Ciamillo-Castoria
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