Diego Flaccadori, Giordano Bortolani and Guglielmo Caruso are Olimpia’s three new Italian signings, “who are coming to give us freshness and depth – says general manager Christos Stavropoulos – Flaccadori is the experienced, Caruso has great potential and Bortolani is a kid from our academy so we are doubly proud that he is with us. His journey is a message for all the young kids of our academy. As Coach Messina said and Mirotic also underlined two days ago: what they give us in the Italian league will help us to be better prepared in the EuroLeague”. All three made their debut in Vigevano in a friendly game, with excellent responses. “We were a little tense because it was the first game , it’s normal to be nervous, but you still try to give your best”, Bortolani says.
DIEGO FLACCADORI – “Basketball is a game of mistakes, the one who makes the least mistakes wins. You have to play trying to make the right choices and not worry if, making mistakes, you have to go back to the bench. It will definitely happen. No player will ever be completely satisfied with who he is, this is why we try to improve. In 2018 I was disappointed not to be able to play in the championship final when I was in Trento. I chose Olimpia because I would like to win and I hope to do so soon. The more time goes by, the more you feel this desire to hoist trophies. I’ve already tasted the EuroLeague, maybe I went to Munich a little too early but I couldn’t wait to get back to this centrifuge. One minute or thirty you always have to give everything, but I realize that saying it is one thing and doing it is another matter.”
WILLIE CARUSO – “The Coach told me not to think of just one position. I will play whatever position he indicates to me, 4 or 5 is fine. I am here to improve. I immediately opened the notebook and started taking notes, looking at Melli and Ricci with the National team, Hines and Poythress here. When Olimpia called me I thought it was a dream. I used to watch certain players on television and for me it was already incredible to play against them, let alone having people of that level, like Mirotic, as teammates. The experience with the national team was great: of course, at that point I would have preferred to go to the World Cup, it would have been fantastic, but the coach made his choices and it is correct to respect them. I have no recriminations. In bad luck I still had the opportunity to come sooner to Milan and listen to the coaching staff, work immediately with Olimpia.”
GIORDANO BORTOLANI – “Yes, it’s rare for a player from the academy to make it to the first team, so for me it’s already an accomplishment to be here. I’ve had some useful experiences, three years in A2, then three in Serie A, some months in Spain. They’re all seasons that have served me well, but I know very well that here it’s something else. Olimpia is different. I’m here to give my best, I know that I have to improve a lot defensively while offensively I consider myself a versatile player. I hope to help, I will try to always be ready: there are many games and after a mistake you can always make up for it.”
