Italian Champions Under 17 Eccellenza!

“We are happy for everyone who contributed to this success. It seems strange but everything starts from the little things, from the sacrifices of everyone, both the people and the players in the front line, and those who are not seen. I want to tell all of them that this victory is also theirs, the players who have never played, those who were part of the group years ago, those who have left; the people who look after them off the field: those who follow them in the studio, those who accompany them to the station or airport, those who are with them in the emergency room when they are sick. This Scudetto is the tip of a pyramid with a big base. It is not won by chance. In the year when there was no Stella Azzurra and half of Milan, we knew we could win, but not that we had to. We also knew we could lose and this made us react well in the moments when we were in trouble.”

“These guys overcame and solved their problems on the pitch with an important maturity. Thanks to our opponents, they are now better players than they were a week ago. And this I believe is an asset not only for us, but also for our basketball”. “Winning is a dangerous poison, I can say it and reiterate it now because doing it after you lose would seem like an excuse, but in the youth sector the value of victories and status achieved through success does not appeal to me. Even at these finals I have seen so many well-coached teams, improved players and clubs progressing. All this is forgotten by players, managers, parents and colleagues if it is not accompanied by a victory. I still say that at this age boys and clubs only progress through mistakes and defeats. It is how they react to everything that will define them, and we are what we are today, even winners, thanks to the mistakes and sufferings that we, and all those before us, have faced.”

Giacomo Rossi (General Manager Orange1 Bassano)