Coach Ettore Messina officially kicked off the new season by meeting with the media before boarding the team bus to play an exhibition game in Vigevano. Here’s a summary of his remarks.
Ettore Messina on Mr. Giorgio Armani – “I obviously want to have a thought for Mr. Armani, even though it’s easier to say platitudes than sensible things under these circumstances. You all know what he meant to this club, and to Italian and European basketball community. Obviously, beyond everything he meant to his profession, our commitment will be to do our best to remember him in the best possible way.”
Ettore Messina on Coach Poeta – “We wanted Peppe Poeta here because we have a vision for the future around him, and he’s someone who, both here and in Brescia, has demonstrated the coaching skills and human qualities that are right for this club. He never crosses the line and always stands out for what he does on the court, at work. I think this s important when it comes to managing teams that have to work under pressure. Like all major clubs, we try to plan for the future in advance, together with the owners. Peppe was coming off a great season as head coach but he wanted to be part of the journey we outlined for him. Compared to when he was here, I saw him as having more confidence in what he does and he is more proactive. After all, he reached the championship series, and his team played excellent basketball. I also want to thank Brescia for understanding the situation. I’m also pleased that within the staff a great relationship is developing between each other.”
Ettore Messina on his future – “Right now, what kind of future I have, where, isn’t important in the sense that I never want it to become a distraction for the team, so it’s a topic we’ll discuss again at the end of the season. As a group, we weren’t geniuses after winning three straight league titles; it wasn’t all to be bad after a season in which we fell short of our goals. We know we need to regain confidence, to earn the support of the fan base, and we’ll try to do it step by step. This is the toughest season for any EuroLeague team, because it will be a season with so many double-round games. The teams that have the most cohesion and manage to stay together not only in the good times but also in the bad will have a better chance of being where they want to be.”
Ettore Messina on the staff changes – “Some were forced, like the replacement of Mario Fioretti, to whom I wish all the best now that he’s had this great opportunity. Others were made to do things differently: whether we do them better or not will be revealed on the court.”
Ettore Messina on the team – “We identified some positions where we needed to improve. These days, everyone hopes to have a group that’s willing to pass the ball and defend, and above all, demonstrates a certain mental toughness. We’ve often had this quality, but we didn’t always have it last year. Now we believe we have a group of people who can possess these qualities.”
Ettore Messina on the abundance of options at center – “Josh Nebo is an added value for us, in the sense that he will be as soon as he’s back to be 100 percent because right now we’re managing him gradually. We hope he doesn’t have all the injuries and problems he had last year. But having a player like Booker behind him, and also Dunston, who still has a lot of basketball to give, as well as incredible leadership in the locker room, makes us feel like we have our backs covered.”
Ettore Messina on the point guard position – “Lorenzo Brown is a player who has always made us suffer a lot, he’s always advance his candidacy by playing very well against us, so we’re happy to have him here. And a player like Quinn Ellis has a great future ahead of him. Nico Mannion had a good summer and is off to a great start, and I’m happy to have Flaccadori back. With this abundance of options, we can consider playing Brown in two out of three games, for example, considering the schedule, knowing that given his experience and charisma, in the EuroLeague he’ll be our so-called starting point guard. But both Ellis and Mannion can play with him because he has the height on his corner. These days, the point guard isn’t the one who brings the ball up and calls the plays; he has to play without the ball at times. The key is not to get stuck on a label. So far, Ellis has done that well. We’re convinced he can have an immediate impact in the EuroLeague, too, and we’re trying to help him do that.”
Ettore Messina on players’ turnover – “Zach LeDay, I’m using him as an example, after a great season last year, struggled physically after February. Then we want to protect Marko Guduric and Nebo himself. It’s impossible to imagine a small number of players holding out for so many games let alone the injuries. We’ll try to have a team that can be as efficient as possible.”
Ettore Messina on Leonardo Totè – “Leonardo is a player who is currently following his own rehabilitation plan from the injury he suffered at the end of last season. If he were to be available, he would become a player we would count on, but there’s no timeline.”
Ettore Messina on Vlatko Cancar – “When I was in Treviso, Maurizio Gherardini embraced the philosophy of finding players needed to be regenerated and have them play at a high level for a few years. Cancar has enormous potential, and he proved it before getting injured. We think he’s recovering well, and we think he can return to being the player he was. He’s still young, and we want to help him because then he would be a very strong player for us.”
Ettore Messina on the new EuroLeague – “Everyone says the two Greek teams, the Turkish clubs, and Real Madrid are in. So there are five teams, and there’s one spot left for accessing the playoffs directly, and we are not mentioning Barcelona or Monaco. This is the reality of the EuroLeague: everyone has strengthened its roster, and we have expectations, but the teams that demonstrate greater cohesion on and off the court will get the results. It’s a transitional season, as we await the 24 teams in two groups format. But the format is difficult to accept as of now.”
Ettore Messina on Armoni Brooks’ second season – “I hope he picks up where he left off, first and foremost, and that he continues to give us the kind of quality of play he has given us, perhaps taking another step forward in terms of his ability to play with contact. Overall, I think he had a good summer and is also physically ready.”
