Italy’s cult coach Gianmarco Pozzecco praised his team to the skies even after they were eliminated from the European Basketball Championship in Berlin.
“I want my players to keep dreaming. I’m very proud of them. We showed the best basketball at this European Championship,” said Pozzecco after the 85:93 after extra time against France.
Just three days earlier, the Italians had defeated top favorite Serbia around NBA star Nikola Jokic in the round of 16.
Pozzecco left the field in tears, euphorically jumped at Greece’s superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the catacombs and announced after the spectacular victory that his team could use his credit card for the following party.
The 50-year-old didn’t struggle too much this time either. You could see “the difference” between your team and all other teams. “Then you saw our players and said: Oh my God! Just because our boys have really big balls.”
Pozzecco had long since shed his tailor-made suit and was still talking to the Italian reporters in the arena corridor long after the game.
Pozzecco didn’t want to blame his professional Simone Fontecchio, who missed two decisive free throws 16 seconds before the end: “Something like that can happen. I suffer with him because he didn’t deserve it.”