Heading to the World Cup: Italy wants to keep living its fairytale / News - Basketnews.com

After securing the qualification to the 2023 FIBA World Cup in a close win against Georgia, Italy will now need to focus on new important challenges, including the recruiting mission to convince Paolo Banchero to join the team already next summer.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

It was not easy, but in the end, Italy made it. After losing against Spain in overtime, Gianmarco Pozzecco and his team had a chance to qualify for the 2023 World Cup on the road against Georgia.

Marco Spissu

Team:Umana Reyer VeneziaPosition:PGAge:27Height:184 cmWeight:71 kgBirth place:ItalyProfileNewsStatistics

But everyone within the national team staff knew perfectly well that the game in Tbilisi would be full of pitfalls. As predicted, the game against Georgia was highly complex for Italy.

The initial game plan of the Azzurri was quite clear, to constantly double up on Toko Shengelia to prevent the Virtus Bologna star from having a chance to think clearly, perhaps risking a little more on the perimeter.

From the very beginning of the game, it seemed clear that to win, Italy would have to suffer, with Georgia always sewing up the rips the Azzurri created.

Pozzecco's team, at the beginning of the second quarter, lost what was supposed to be one of the game's key players: Nico Mannion.

The Virtus Bologna point guard was ejected after accumulating an unsportsmanlike foul and a flopping call from the referees in less than 6 total minutes on the court.

After Mannion's ejection, Pozzecco also received a technical foul for his protests against the referees. Despite excellent percentages in 3-point shooting in the first half, Italy ended the first 20 minutes ahead by only 3 points (43-40).

In the second half, Pozzecco's team suffered the onslaught of Georgia, which, supported in a big way by the home crowd, took the lead thanks to the plays of Shengelia and Andronikashvili.

Italy's 3-point percentages dropped, and Pozzecco's team suffered from Georgia's positive momentum.

Coach Zouros' team built a 5-point lead with just under four minutes remaining (74-69). Pozzecco decided to stop the game with a timeout and called for calmness from his players and in his traditional style, not necessarily orthodox but extremely effective, he spurs the Azzurri to stop forcing from three: "Enough with these fu**ing 3-point shots, there is still time, stay calm."

But it was precisely two threes, one by Luca Severini and one by Marco Spissu, that cut Italy's disadvantage to 1 point (75-76).

Marco Spissu, the hero of the incredible win against Serbia at EuroBasket, regained his power from distance in the last minutes and led Italy to a 6-point lead with 33 seconds left.

However, when the game seemed to be won, Italy began to see flashes of the game against France at EuroBasket. The team made a trivial turnover with Pajola, leading to a Berishvili triple.

With 6 seconds left, Pajola himself had a chance to put the game on ice from the free-throw line, but the Virtus player missed both free throws and left Italy ahead by just one point.

On the last possession, McFadden kept the ball too long, and by the time he decided to pass for Shengelia, the clock had already run off, and the heart-stopping challenge was finally over.

Following the sound of the buzzer, the party began for Italy, with Pozzecco being the main protagonist, as per tradition. After hugging everyone, the national team coach ended up on the floor with Pajola and Spissu, holding them like his own sons.

Since Pozzecco's arrival to the national team, the relationship between him and the players has always been great. The chemistry inside the locker room has been undeniable, something that the head coach stressed again after the end of the game.

"We live something magical inside the locker room," Pozzecco explained to the reporters. "It was a great victory because the guys never gave up, and everyone gave their best. Our teamwork was absolutely great, and we showed great defensive quality against a player like Shengelia."

In the days leading to this FIBA window, Pozzecco and president of the basketball federation Gianni Petrucci had complained about the lack of availability of EuroLeague players.

Italy didn't have Nicolo Melli, who stayed in Milan to prepare for the next EuroLeague games with Olimpia. A loss against Georgia and the need to wait at least until February of 2023 to secure qualification to the World Cup would have made the environment in Italian basketball even tenser.

Now that the FIBA World Cup ticket is already secured, Pozzecco would have another important mission to accomplish: convincing Paolo Banchero to join the squad.

At the beginning of December, Pozzecco, with the general director of the national team Salvatore Trainotti, and Gianni Petrucci, the president of the federation, will travel to Orlando to talk with the no.1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The plan is to secure the commitment of Banchero for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The Italian/American rookie began his first NBA season with impressive performances. During a recent interview in a podcast with his Orlando Magic teammate, R.J. Hampton insisted that he wants to play for the Italian national team.

"I'm with the Italian national team now," Banchero said when Hampton mentioned that he could become part of Team USA in the near future. "My intention is to represent the Italian national team, I still don't know when."

Pozzecco, in a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, made it clear that the trip to Orlando will be crucial for the future of Banchero with the national team. In his typical fashion, the Italian head coach explained that he's willing to do everything it takes to convince the player.

"I'll visit him at the beginning of December with Trainotti and Petrucci. Those four days will be very intense. If it is necessary, I'll sleep at his own place. What's special about him it's his ability to combine discipline, humility, and self-confidence."

After the win against Georgia, Pozzecco also added: "We're living a beautiful fairytale, and Banchero could become the superhero that comes out of nowhere for the happy ending."

Everyone involved with the Italian national team seems pretty willing to help in the recruiting mission for Banchero, including Simone Fontecchio, who recently stated that he'd be willing to meet the rookie for dinner when the Jazz play against the Magic.

The Italian team we'll see at the World Cup will be quite different from the one we saw during this FIBA window.

If injuries leave the 'Azzurri' alone, Pozzecco could assemble a team that might be very similar to the one we saw at EuroBasket in September but with some important additions. Some cases, though, will remain unclear for a while.

Danilo Gallinari is recovering from an ACL injury he suffered while playing in the FIBA window right before EuroBasket. The Italian superstar will miss the entire NBA season, and his presence at the FIBA World Cup looks difficult at the moment.

However, Gallinari is highly appreciated by Pozzecco and his staff, so the door will remain open until the very last moment.

National team captain Gigi Datome will turn 35 by the end of November. At EuroBasket, he showed he can still be an important piece for the squad coming off the bench in a veteran role.

Pozzecco, who has worked with the forward also in Milan, has a great relationship with him and will definitely bring him with him to the FIBA World Cup if his physical condition allows.

Marco Belinelli, another veteran of Italian basketball, will be 37 by the time the FIBA World Cup starts. Recently, the shooting guard opened the door to his potential return to the national team. The captain of Virtus Bologna stated that he'd talk to coach Pozzecco and consider the option.

Belinelli hasn't been a part of the national team since the 2019 FIBA World Cup and, so far this season, is struggling to find consistent minutes with Virtus Bologna, especially in EuroLeague.

Compared to the situations of Gallinari and Datome, Belinelli's presence at the next FIBA World Cup looks like a long shot as of right now.

It'll also be interesting to understand if Pozzecco decides to integrate some of the young guns. Gabriele Procida (ALBA Berlin) and Matteo Spagnolo (Aquila Basket Trento) were part of the national team training camp before EuroBasket but didn't make the final roster.

Could they become already an option for the World Cup? If Procida keeps playing with the type of courage he has shown so far, it wouldn't be such a surprise to see him considered for a spot, although Italy also has other pretty good options in his role.

Pozzecco is particularly fond of the group concept, and disruptions in the roster seems unlikely at the moment unless injuries and defections force him to move in another direction.

The FIBA window that will be played in February could become a good test for some of the younger players and to have a better look at other players who haven't been part of the group.

After the controversy of the past few days over the situation between FIBA and EuroLeague and Italy being left on its own, now the situation can be more relaxed. With a spot for the World Cup already in the bag, Pozzecco and his staff can start working on the planning for the next summer.

However, the next big challenge will be in December when Pozzecco meets with Paolo Banchero to try to convince him to become the 'superhero' of this team. That could become a real game-changer for the Italian national team.

As Rick Fois, one of Gianmarco Pozzecco's assistant coaches had revealed last year, the goal of the federation for the next few years was to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and then try to fight for a medal in 2028 at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, maximizing the talent of the new wave of Italian players.

Since the FIBA World Cup is the event that opens the door to the Olympics, the first step has already been made. But the most challenging part is yet to come.

Italy wants to keep living its beautiful 'fairytale', and in order to do so, they hope that Christmas might bring a beautiful present in the form of a 'once in a lifetime' phenomenon that can turn a wonderful dream into a spectacular reality.

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