A historic opponent suffered in the quarter-final. The coach: “Proud to have arrived this far and of the ambitious Apu project”
UDINE. The first goal is to beat Forlì in the quarter-finals tomorrow afternoon at 15 in Cervia, then we’ll see. For coach Matteo Boniciolli, the Serie A2 Italian Cup is a pleasant risk in the middle of a season to be lived at one hundred per hour.
Basically you play to win, but at the same time not to lose other pieces.
Boniciolli, how enthralled are you with the Cup?
«Let’s say that I am very proud of the fact that we have arrived there, thanks to a rare corporate solidity. In the moment of greatest difficulty, between Covid infections and Amato’s injury, there was a period of great negativity. However, I am happy to work in a club where the president, board of directors and sponsors have been united in continuing with the project, and the team has understood what kind of club they play for. This result is another flag on the path after the Super Cup Final Eight ».
To get to the bottom it would take three games in three days. Tell the truth, would you gladly do without it?
«The way we are, yes. Had I been full I would have thought I’d win this Cup. Without Mussini and Amato, things are more complicated. I did some Final Eight (one won with Avellino in A1, in 2008, ed), I know for a fact that the effort required exposes you to the risk of further physical trouble. An injury to the two productive outsiders, Giuri and Johnson, would be a tragedy. I have never hidden, but neither do I tell stories ».
How does the APU arrive at this appointment?
«We are working to win against Forlì, physically we are in excellent condition: all the tests of Gigi Sepulcri say so. We have lightened the load by removing a weekly training session, we are running on a thin line: during the season we have dealt with many injuries, some even serious. Despite this, we are third in the league ».
Aface Forlì again. Are you thinking about the November precedent in the Super Cup?
“No, because both they and we have improved since then. I respect Dell’Agnello very much, it is not automatic to become a great coach after being a great player. His team is solid and solid. He has athletic outsiders who are good at getting close to the iron and longs capable of opening the field.
The Cup Final Eight confirms Udine among the top A2 teams. Is the environment ripe to raise the bar?
«One of the many things that prompted me to come here was the first meeting with the president, board of directors and sponsors. Very ambitious young entrepreneurs. They brought back the level basketball to Udine after the Snaidero epic. Here there is the awareness of having an important corporate base and a city to be able to make a championship of a higher category. I would like to underline one thing: in the roster there are five players born between 1998 and 2001, except for Schina they are all of international size, that is, over two meters. We have built solid foundations for Udine basketball regardless of who will be there ».
Tomorrow it is also the turn of Gesteco Cividale. What do you wish your colleague Pillastrini?
«In choosing Cividale, Stefano made a choice like other times in the past, starting from a program and not from a category. In a short time he led the team to compete for important goals. I always wonder if it makes sense, in a not so vast territory, to disperse the energies. Having said that, I wish Stefano to continue doing what he has always done: obtaining results by producing players ».