Basketball is alive and well in one of the world's smallest nations

SAN MARINO (FIBA European Championship for Small Countries 2018) - It is often said that basketball is a game of giants, but no one can blow this theory out of the water quite as well as the tiny nation of San Marino.

The sport is alive and well in the world's oldest extant sovereign state, which also happens to be the fifth-smallest country on the planet with the latest official numbers putting its population at just 33,326 inhabitants.

Cobbled up mostly from semi-professional and amateur players, the 12-man selection representing San Marino on the international stage are ranked 116 out of 147 national teams in the FIBA World Ranking Presented by NIKE, punching well above their weight class.

"There are some semi-professional players, but most of them are amateurs who are sacrificing a lot to carry out this passion."Andrea RaschiAndrea Raschi

There aren't many people who know the inner workings of the national side better than the team captain Andrea Raschi, who has come to be synonymous with the basketball movement in the country, having been the face of the national side for the better part of two decades.

"It is very difficult to put together a competitive team every year," the 38-year-old veteran, a member of the national team since debuting as a hotshot prospect in 2000, tells FIBA.basketball.

San Marino players celebrating a third-place finish at the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries 2016

"We went through a difficult period recently, where some important players withdrew and the young guys were not ready for international basketball yet. But we look to the future with optimism thanks to the determination and the passion of the members of the Federation."

Unlike most other national teams, San Marino does not take part in the FIBA Basketball World Cup or FIBA EuroBasket Qualifiers, competing instead against other smaller European states in the accordingly-named FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, which is set to take place in the Sammarinese castello of Serravalle at the end of June.

"I am certainly very lucky to have made my passion a profession."Andrea RaschiAndrea Raschi

The tournament serves as a get-together for the continent's microstates of Andorra, Gibraltar, Malta and San Marino, who this year will be joined by a trio of developing basketball nations in Ireland, Moldova and Norway for a seven-team event.

Looking to bounce back from a winless campaign at the 2017 Games of the Small States of Europe — not to be confused with the bi-annual FIBA European Championship for Small Countries — will serve as extra motivation for the Raschi-led home side.

"Our goal is definitely to improve on what we did last year, as there were so many players missing from the championship. We also want to give our young players a chance to grow, because they are the future of the national team," he said, stressing the importance of player development in the country.

Raschi has represented the national team of San Marino since 2000

"The national team consists of players born and raised in San Marino and kids who have lived here for a while. There are some semi-professional players, but most of them are amateurs who are sacrificing a lot to carry out this passion."

Having picked up the sport at an early age himself, Andrea followed the footsteps of his older brother Gian Luca, who also represented San Marino on the international stage for a number of years.

"Playing for San Marino has provided me with a lot of beautiful moments that have helped me grow both as a players and as a person."Andrea RaschiAndrea Raschi

Like most of the talented kids, the young of the Raschi siblings pursued his basketball dreams just across the border in Italy, rising through the basketball pyramid in the nearby city of Rimini, a scenic 40-minute drive away from his hometown.

"I climbed the entire youth ladder in Rimini, all the way up to my Serie A debut with the senior side at the age of 18. It is common practice for the top players to go to Italian clubs for a chance to compete at the highest possible level, since San Marino is a very small country on the basketball scene," he explained.

"I am certainly very lucky to have made my passion a profession."

Other than a couple of veterans, San Marino have a young national team

Raschi has spent most of his career in the lower leagues in Italy, most recently with Basket Ravenna in Serie A2, but there is nothing the veteran enjoys more than putting on the national team jersey in the summertime.

"It has provided me with a lot of beautiful moments that have helped me grow both as a players and as a person. The highlights of my career certainly coincided with the medals that I have won with San Marino," he says, referencing his full collection of gold, silver and bronze medals from the FIBA European Championships for Small Countries.

"Being the captain is also a big source of pride for me. It is great to be a point of reference for the whole team and to give advice and suggestions to the younger members of the team, boost their confidence. It makes me happy."

"I am very confident about the future of basketball in the country, as we have well-prepared coaches and there are some young guys with a great desire to emerge."Andrea RaschiAndrea Raschi

There are only a handful of 38-year-olds still playing basketball around Europe. Those who are still active are already pondering what comes next, but that clearly isn't the case with Raschi.

"I still have not given thought about retiring from basketball. I still enjoy it a lot and I do not mind going to the gym to train. When that isn't the case anymore, that's when I will start thinking about my future," the power forward swiftly swats away the question about retirement.

"I really haven't thought about it," Raschi shrugs after being pressed harder. "But I hope I can stay in the basketball environment and help San Marino become a great sporting country."

Even at the age of 38, Raschi feels he still has some fuel left in the tank

San Marino might have the benefit of having the on-court services of their long-time captain for a little while longer, but it is his contagious enthusiasm for the game and his story of success that can inspire the next generation of Sammarinese basketball players.

"I am very confident about the future of basketball in the country, as we have well-prepared coaches and there are some young guys with a great desire to emerge."

Basketball is not a game of giants. Sometimes, all it takes is a giant-sized heart and a unique passion for the game. Look no further than Andrea Raschi and San Marino.

FIBA