The wing captain of the Under 20 European gold, already a starter with the senior national team, who Virtus likes: “I received many offers from US colleges, I chose a path in Italy, it depends on the opportunities. I feel Banchi’s trust, during the days in blue I understood what to improve at a higher level. Honored by Danilo’s knowledge”
Only a few months ago Francesco Ferrari was a young man with great hopes, who the entire world of Italian basketball observed carefully. Today he certainly hasn’t aged, but some of those hopes have already turned into certainties and that’s no small feat. There is a lot of blue in his growth. After the Under 20 European Championship victory as captain and MVP, Banchi received the call and the minutes as a starter in the first qualifying window for the next World Cup. And it’s no secret that the most important clubs in our basketball are already looking at him, certainly Virtus Bologna. Even this season, which he is playing in Cividale in A2, a club that has placed great trust in him, he has already convinced with his performances. One above all was the 36-point score against Urania Milano, which allowed him to equal a record that belonged to a giant like Carlton Myers. After 34 years since the last time, he was the first twenty-year-old Italian to score so much in one of the two main national categories. A race in which he offered a sample of his qualities. We are talking about a 204cm winger with great technique, who knows how to be elegant without losing sight of effectiveness, on both sides of the pitch.
A non-negligible element of his basketball are his movements without the ball, which demonstrate how well he knows how to read the game. A skill that starts from afar: “During my youth years at College Basket Borgomanero I grew a lot because I didn’t have a fixed role, I could be a point guard, but also a center. This helped me a lot because it forced me to play a lot of pick and rolls and make a lot of cuts from the weak side. They are all little things that for a young man like me are essential to get into rhythm and gain confidence.”
From the European gold onwards, do you feel that this season is launching you into great basketball?
“Certainly, this 2025 has already given me great satisfaction, starting with the last A2 season. We lost in the playoff quarter-finals against Forlì only in game 5, we reached the final of the Italian Cup, while in September we won the Super Cup (category, ed). Then in the summer I experienced the highest point of my journey so far, winning gold at the Under 20 European Championship. A few weeks ago I made my debut in the senior national team, scoring my first points in this new cycle with coach Banchi. It was undoubtedly the most important year of my career and now that it is ending I can only hope that 2026 will bring me just as many joys.”
Basketball for her is a family matter. How are you experiencing this phase of your journey?
“Basketball is the main topic in our house, it is a passion that was passed on to me from a very young age. My grandfather was a manager, my father is today in Borgomanero, after a past on the pitch as a player. We are very close as a family, I feel particularly attached to my brothers (Alessandro is one of his teammates in Cividale, ed). They are all very happy with my career, which they follow day by day, without haste or worries. Their support helps me deal with things in the best way.”
Carlton Myers, before her, was the only Italian capable of scoring 36 points, at the age of 20, in the two major leagues of our basketball.
“On the field, while I was watching the scoreboard grow, I didn’t realize the record I was equaling, I was totally focused on the match. Once home I learned from social media what I had done and I must admit that I was excited. I didn’t believe I had done something so important. I hope it’s only the first of many performances like this, but the team’s result always remains in first place.”
In the past he has said that Kobe Bryant and Danilo Gallinari are his idols. If you could steal anything from them, what would it be?
“I would definitely take Bryant’s work ethic, an aspect that has always distinguished him. I would like the talent and the ability to not give up and then recover from the many injuries, even serious ones, of the “Rooster”. We met, he made an excellent impression on me. When he announced his retirement I sent him a message, he replied saying that he hopes that I will be the one to give him satisfaction from now on. These words were a further stimulus for me and above all it was a great honor”.
Was it more difficult to come back from -19 against Israel, in the quarter-finals of the Under 20 European Championship, or to speak in front of Mattarella after the victory?
“Despite the difficulties of the match, I would tell you that it was more difficult to speak in front of Mattarella. Having never done it before, the emotion was great, also because it was an opportunity that might not happen again. That match, however, was special, we returned from the locker room with a different determination, after a timid start, also thanks to some tactical adjustments. After beating Israel we immediately thought that the road to victory was a little more downhill, we had the feeling that no one, at that point, could stop us.”
During the speech he talked about racism, because of what happened during the European Championship. It’s something that is striking.
“It was a difficult moment we experienced, after seeing our team photo filled with vulgar comments. Some of my teammates wanted to respond immediately. I, as captain and the coach (Alessandro Rossi, ed) we tried to keep the group focused on field work. David Torresani wanted to let off steam after the final (thanking the racists because their comments had brought the team together, ed). His was an important gesture because it takes courage to respond and at 20 years old it is not a given. This is why I think that what I said at the Quirinale was important for me, for my companions and I hope also for our country.”
During the recent World Cup qualifying matches, which you even experienced as a starter, what did you realize you needed to improve on?
“The physical and athletic impact is totally different compared to what I was used to with the Under 20s. In that context I felt superior athletically and physically in some aspects. The impact with the National A team made me understand that from the point of view of physical ability and not only I have to grow, because the size of the players at that level is different. I’m working to improve every day and be increasingly ready.”
Is there something that Banchi said to you, during his days with the national team or during his training, that struck him?
“During the training camp he spoke a lot to the whole group, he made an excellent impression on everyone. I had the opportunity to personally deal with him when, before the call-up, he toured the clubs. This showed how much he cares because he also wanted to get to know us as people off the field. It made us understand how much trust he has in all of us. As in my first meeting with Pozzecco, I immediately felt at ease.”
Have you noticed any differences between the coach’s approach and those of Pillastrini and Rossi?
“The main difference lies in the responsibilities that I am called upon to take on. With the Under 20s and with Cividale I know that I have to play a leading role also in attack, while in the senior national team this was not the case. Banchi asked me to defend, capture rebounds, block and in general do all those little things that transmit energy to my teammates and help me gain the trust of the whole environment.”
Looking to the future, if you have to dream, do you see yourself more in the Euroleague or in the NBA?
“As a type of player, I feel more suited to the Euroleague, but it’s impossible not to dream of the NBA, it would be really special. There are the best in the world, from a technical and physical point of view. The life experience you get overseas cannot be replicated anywhere else. There aren’t many Italians who have played there, so I would like to get there and go down in history for having stayed so long.”
Did Gallinari give you any advice?
“We didn’t talk about it too much, he just told me a few anecdotes when we were in Trento with the national team. He told me that it’s important to feel good about yourself and your family.”
For young people like her there are different paths that can be taken. What made you choose Italy over an experience at college or in Europe? How did you understand that this was the right choice?
“In the last two years I have received many offers from the United States, especially this summer after the Under 20 European Championship. As a life experience I was very interested, but from a technical point of view I didn’t feel suited to the type of basketball that is played in college. The door, however, always remains open and if the right opportunity presented itself I would like to take it. I chose to stay in Cividale in A2 because I want to make a special journey in Italy and by staying here I can reach high levels. The trust that the club, coach Pillastrini and his teammates give me every day and it is fundamental. Furthermore, despite the criticism it sometimes receives, the A2 has risen in level with many players who are coming down from Serie A”.
What do you see as the next step forward in your journey? Serie A? The Euroleague?
“I want to improve more and more, if I have opportunities I will evaluate what to do, but I live things day by day to try to grow with each training session”.
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