Brescia with only 4 foreigners trashed Olimpia in Milano, revealing the weaknesses of the Euroleague powerhouse
The most surprising result of the week was provided by Germani Brescia who triumphed on the court of the so praised Olimpia Milano. The Euroleague powerhouse is starting this season with high ambitions, having a better roster than last year and a good coach in Ettore Messina. They aim to win the title, maybe to Italian Cup too, and to enter the Euroleague playoffs. But this game against Brescia proved Olimpia Milano’s liabilities.
The host team full of amazing foreigners and naturalized Americans who became Italians played so poor in front of Brescia, who had for this encounter only 4 foreigners (including the veteran David Moss, 36 years old). The difference was made by the evolution of the local players who scored 30 points for Brescia and only 10 points for Olimpia Milano. And this is one of the main problems for the Euroleague team of Italy and it was all these years: the failure to give real chances to the local players and to make them feel important for the squad.
Let’s take an example. Players like Amedeo Della Valle who proved his extraordinary shooting skills during hundreds of games is reduced now at only 5 minutes per game in the domestic league, not in the Euroleague, where maybe he won’t enter the court at all! How could he and other players not lose his confidence in himself? What can he really do on the court if he entered only for 5 minutes to be a modest role player? Can he feel like the main character in this story? Definitely no!
The solution for Olimpia Milano is not the signing of a new foreigner every 2 weeks but to give more credit to the local young players as they received it in other Italian teams like Brescia, Reggio Emilia and so on. Not only for a game or two but as a strategy to grow a healthy basketball mentality in order to succeed.
Photo: www.basketbrescialeonessa.it
Gratian Cormos
