Luis Scola on his project for Varese: 'I have a five-year plan, we have to work on our youth academy' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Zuma press – Scanpix Credit Zuma press – Scanpix

Now that the playing days are over, Luis Scola is the CEO of the Italian team Openjobmetis Varese. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Argentinian legend explained his plan for the team.

Luis Scola

Position:PFAge:41Height:206 cmWeight:111 kgBirth place:Buenos Aires, ArgentinaProfileNewsStatistics

"There's an internal pact between me and the club", Scola said. "I'm not gonna reveal the details but I'll have the opportunity to buy shares of the club over a certain period of time. Now I and my collaborators have laid out the foundations for the work. There's a lot to do, the 7 wins in the last 9 games don't need to become a shortcut".

According to Scola's thinking process, one of the key elements of the new project of Varese will be the youth academy.

"We have to work on our youth academy and developing in a sustainable environment. I'm not gonna sell dreams. I'll never say my goal is the league title or the Euroleague even if I know that in the past that was the ambition of this club. But that was 40 years ago, now times are different", Scola explained.

"One of the goals is to have Varese again as a final destination for important players, as of right now it's more of a crossing point for those who want to grow and then land in big teams like Milan or Real Madrid."

The way to reach these goals is through sustainable development, Scola knows that really well.

"We're not looking for sponsors that are gonna put 5 million euros per season to buy Sergio Rodriguez or Milos Teodosic", Scola said. "The resources have to come from the way we sell our project and from how we develop our young players in the right environment, helping them grow constantly. Our motto is 'win the day', trying to improve daily our team through work and ideas".

"There are two ways to obtain talent", Scola added. "Either spending a lot of money, and we cannot afford that, or trying to produce it internally, betting on less known players or on guys coming from our youth system. Players like Caruso and Woldetensae. That's our path".

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