Paolo Banchero slammed by Italian Basketball Federation: 'He fooled us' / News - Basketnews.com

Italian Basketball Federation president Gianni Petrucci was disappointed that Paolo Banchero did not communicate his decision to play for Team USA personally, claiming he fooled Italy that had great plans for him.

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Italian Basketball Federation president Gianni Petrucci didn't take lightly Paolo Banchero's decision to play for Team USA in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

Paolo Banchero

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In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Petrucci was disappointed with the lack of communication from Banchero.

"It was a legitimate decision, but he could have made a call to communicate that to us. Instead, we learned about his decision from the newspapers," Petrucci told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "In the past few days, he was in Milan, and despite our agreements with his agency, he avoided the meeting with coach Pozzecco."

"Betrayal, especially in basketball, is a strong word. Situations like this happen, and personally, I'm used to it. But he fooled us, we were planning a great commercial strategy for him. Now we need to turn this disappointment into positive energy, I'm sure our coach will be able to do it," Petrucci added.

Last autumn, it seemed that Banchero would join Italy for the upcoming World Cup. The 20-year-old openly talked about his desire to come to Italy and how participating in the World Cup is one of his goals.

"I would love to play with him. He seems to be a good person. He was texting me and told me he was excited to come. He wants to come, it's just about finding the right time," Nico Mannion told in an interview withBasketNews in October.

However, the closer World Cup appeared, the less optimism Italy had about Banchero's availability.

Ultimately, on June 24, Shams Charania reported that Banchero committed to play for Team USA.

In his rookie season for the Orlando Magic, Banchero averaged 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 42.7% from the floor and 29.8% from 3-point distance in 72 appearances.

Meanwhile, Petrucci revealed that Italy has a Plan B, which is Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz guard Darius Thompson.

"We are trying to speed up the process for Darius Thompson's passport, only a few documents are missing. We are hopeful that he'll be able to join our training camp in Folgaria before the World Cup," Petrucci said.

During the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Italy will play in Group A in Manila, Philippines, and face Angola, the Dominican Republic, and the host nation Philippines.

If Italy advances to the Second Round, will meet teams from Group B, consisting of South Sudan, Serbia, China, and Puerto Rico.

FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia from August 25th to September 10th and will be hosted by three nations for the first time.

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