By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Italy will face reigning European champions Spain in the first match of the second phase of the World Cup Qualifiers, but Gianmarco Pozzecco will have to do without a couple of important EuroLeague players as Nicolo Melli, Achille Polonara, and Gabriele Procida, and the NBA guard Simone Fontecchio.
Pozzecco won’t have the best team possible at his disposal because of the conflicting schedules, and the FIBA window being played in the middle of the season.
“I know they would all come to play in Pesaro in front of 10,000 fans expected at the gym. Everyone would like to see the 12 players who thrived in the European Championship, but in this system, it is not possible. I can no longer be silent. I’ll go crazy thinking that my boys can’t play together yet”, Pozzecco said.
He believes the EuroLeague can compromise, and take a break during the FIBA windows.
“It’s one of the biggest problems. When I took on this role, I never imagined I would find so many difficulties with clubs managing their players. With my colleagues so far, I could not establish actual contact. I would like it but the others must also want it. There is more altruism among players than there is between presidents, managers, and coaches. Many of them are too focused on themselves. In football, the entire planet stops when there is the world championship; in basketball, no one stops and all the blame is put on the FIBA windows, but the EuroLeague could also stop for a week,” Gianmarco Pozzecco concluded.
Italy will host Spain with the following roster: Marko Spissu (Reyer Venezia), Nico Mannion (Virtus), Paul Biligha (Olimpia Milano), Alessandro Pajola (Virtus), John Petrucelli (Brescia), Amedeo Tessitori (Reyer Venezia), Giampaolo Ricci (Olimpia Milano), Luca Severini (Derthona), Riccardo Moraschini (Reyer Venezia), Tommaso Baldasso (Olimpia Milano), Guglielmo Caruso (Varese), Michele Vitali (Reggio Emilia).
On the other hand, the head coach of the Spanish national team Sergio Scariolo won’t have any EuroLeague players at his disposal.
With a 5-1 score, Italy sits in second place in Group L of the World Cup Qualifiers, with Spain in front (5-1), Iceland (4-2), Georgia (3-3), Ukraine (1-5), and Netherlands (0-6) following.