Italy feed off Pozzecco's energy, win because of his coaching

MANILA (Philippines) - A lot of words describe Gianmarco Pozzecco. Passionate, energetic, sometimes crazy, entertaining and never boring are the easy descriptions. But the description that has Italy dreaming at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 of their first podium finish is great coach.

It is impossible to overlook the Gianmarco Pozzecco of the first set of words.

There is the Italian coach picking up a second technical foul and getting ejected against Dominican Republic after demonstratively taking off his jacket to protest a call.

There is Pozzecco so wildly gesturing throughout games that his shirt tails come out of his pants.

Or there is the 50-year-old coach energetically pumping his fists or raising his arms after a big basket or defensive play by his team.

There is also Pozzecco asking at a press conference about trying to meet Philippines boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Or the coach telling reporters that he was so distraught after his team's loss to the Dominicans that he wished the windows of his 37th-floor hotel room could be opened so he could jump out and kill himself.

But through all of those entertaining moments, one message comes through: Pozzecco's love for his players. And they feed off that.

"We know him. He gives us even more energy, more excitement, more positivity. It's just the way he is, he's not acting crazy. He's really like that. We know him. The world knows him a little now too. We are just taking his positivity and the energy is good vibes for us," said Italy's NBA forward Simone Fontecchio.

Simone Fontecchio

Italian playmaker Marco Spissu has played for Pozzecco for many years at the club level with Dinamo Sassari. And he knows all about the coach's demeanour.

"It's good to get his trust on the court. It's so important for a player to play with confidence on the court. We are really happy to play for Italy, especially for him," he said.

Luigi Datome

And the retiring Italian veteran Luigi Datome added: "For sure he gives us not only energy but confidence and trust. We are a team with some limits but we try to overcome those limits with enthusiasm and playing free and with confidence and playing together."

What many basketball fans might not see about Pozzecco because of all the wildness is that he is one heck of a coach.

Pozzecco played for nearly 20 years as a small point guard with good technical skills and excellent shooting. In addition to winning two Italian league crowns (in 1999 with Varese and 2005 with Fortitudo Bologna), Pozzecco played briefly in Spain and two seasons in Russia. He also helped Italy win the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics during his seven years playing for the Italian national team.

Gianmarco Pozzecco at the 2004 Olympics

He began his coaching career at age 40 in 2012 and seven years later guided Dinamo Sassari to the FIBA Europe Cup crown in 2019.

In June 2022, Pozzecco took over from Meo Sacchetti as Italian national team head coach. And just months later, he helped Italy shock tournament favorites Serbia in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Round of 16.

 

Pozzecco actually famously had been ejected from that game and had to watch his team's amazing performance from the catacombs of the Berlin Arena. Pozzecco and Italy then nearly shocked France in the Quarter-Finals, losing in overtime.

Pozzecco's winning game plans have continued this summer as Italy have won 11 of 12 games thus far, going a perfect 9-0 in the exhibition games before the World Cup and beating Angola and Philippines and losing to Dominican Republic in the First Round.

And the coach's players recognize their leader's excellence in game planning and team management.

"He's definitely a good coach. He was an amazing player. He really knows the game. And having been a player, he knows players too. That's the most beautiful thing about him - that he gives us the little things, the little details that you recognise because you are a player like him," said Fontecchio.

"People don't understand but this shows at practice. We know how he coaches. From the outside it looks crazy but he is so prepared," Spissu added.

Datome has seen his share of coaching greats during his career and the veteran is impressed with Pozzecco.

"From the outside I realize it's difficult to see how good of a coach he is: the adjustments he makes, the timeouts he calls, the details he talks about in practice and the games. He's really a high level coach. But outside on TV you only see the reactions and that's why everybody judges him only because of the reactions. But he's also a very good coach," Datome explained.

With Italy doing what they are doing at the World Cup, one more word that chould be added to Pozzecco's description is winner.

FIBA