A week in the derby with Cividale, the Old Wild West is second in the standings, yet not entirely convincing due to the great potential it has. In the Apu coaches locker room, Matteo Boniciolli is a flood. Pressed by a dozen questions. A frank comparison, not soft (what a beauty).
Boniciolli, you are second in the standings, but your team, due to the goals they have, is still not convincing. Agree?
“No. All the statistical data say that we are in line with the last championship, seven wins and two losses, attack almost equal defense».
But the formula is different, the direct clash lost with Pistoia risks weighing on the second phase.
«The goal is to arrive fit and healthy, not like in the finals a year ago in which we lost 4 players. And then I did two finals starting from seventh. After that we have many things to improve, but plenty of time to do it».
With Pistoia, however, the knockout was bad…
“Bad day”.
Safe?
«It had nothing to do with it, but we didn’t limit ourselves to this consideration: we analyzed it with great attention».
When the team manages to play at full speed, it is spectacular and effective. But why do you struggle to control the pace of matches?
«I agree, when we play at speed we are devastating. On Sunday we did it for a quarter then we dropped, because there are opponents and, with rotations limited by choice, the intensity dropped. But we always go out at a distance and this is fundamental ».
Why keep Antonutti and Mussini out?
“We took their stats and made a decision. The captain made himself available, Mussini showed me again today in training that he understood how to get back to playing. After a bad knockout like the one against Pistoia, the thing to do was to reduce rotations and overcome the difficulties».
So are you going to thin out the team?
«No, the philosophy of having a roster of 12 players, because now there is also Fantoma, remains. And that’s what will lead us to fight for the A1 again this year. It was and remains the philosophy of the company».
Speaking of Fantoma, surprised by his debut?
«No, he is a boy with a super mentality, and he has lost two years of training due to Covid. In mentality he reminds me of Gianluca Basile. He will become a small forward from Serie A1. If, as he is doing, he accepts our proposal to work as a guard, he will instead become a Euroleague player ».
Does the American couple convince you?
«Yes, but we can’t hope that he makes more than half of the team’s shots like on Sunday, because otherwise we won’t win the championship. We need to raise the level of the others, we are working on it».
Gaspardo and Mian haven’t adapted to A2 yet?
«If the third violinist of the Scala in Milan goes to play in the Fvg orchestra, he cannot immediately play the first violin. It takes time. The commitment they put in, they who care a lot about this mission in Udine for being Friulians, reassures me. Mian doesn’t score but defends strongly, Gaspardo fights».
Let’s go back to the US. We notice a great feeling with Briscoe.
“True. He is a great player. He is stronger than Charlie Smith because he cannot be marked one-on-one. And then he and Sherrill enjoy passing the ball to their teammates.”
Does Palumbo risk being “closed” with them?
«If he plays like he knows how to do, no, on the contrary. And he knows it well. Do you know the notary of TV quizzes? Here’s a coach like that: he writes down the statistics and thus decides to let his athletes play. If the result does not change at the second rotation, one stays on the bench. That’s it.
Palumbo and the others understand this because the spirit of the group is good. After the bad final match against Fortitudo, Gaspardo told me candidly: I wasn’t angry about the substitution, but because I knew I had played badly».
Coach, the fans are asking you for this blessed Serie A1.
“Don’t worry, in June we will fight to get there”.
What is the effect of playing a derby not against Trieste, Gorizia and Cividale in a week?
«Zero».
He comes out of “his” locker room. Zero pleasantries (how wonderful). She interested us in figuring out a few things. Sensation: outside the post-game monologues, the Apu 2023 by magic seems more like a team. —
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