Cinderella of Europe ready for the big ball And she is just 10 years old

TvB arrives at Sweet 16: it is the great revelation of the Vazzoler tournament: “Bet won, we have forged ahead”

/ TREVISO

Sweet, very sweet are these Champions Top 16 for Treviso. TvB has written, or rather is writing, a little fable which, like all of them, has its moral: work always pays off. An “absolute beginner” has managed to earn an invitation to the grand final ball with so much sweat and commitment: nothing happens by chance. If in Italy for Nutribullet the string of disappointments lengthens, beyond the border only great satisfactions are collected: at the beginning, if anything, the opposite seemed more likely. July 4, 2012 – January 18, 2022. It can be a very long or a very short period, it depends. If we talk about a sports club, especially compared to those that have more than a century of life, it is a blink of an eye. Yet in less than 10 years TvB has managed to become an adult, to follow a path that, on that hot morning under the Loggia dei Trecento, seemed impossible. In other words, we have gone from the Promotion tournament, played to survive with kids on loan from Benetton Basket and with stalwart former players, to entry into the elite of a European Cup.

President Paolo Vazzoler was there at the beginning of everything and, after moving from Quinto and Agordo to Europe, he is still there today. And, of course, he rejoices. «I am really very satisfied. Much. We believed in the project, which was and is for everyone, taking a step forward every day. If it was a bet, let’s say we won it. The only flaw is having forged ahead: we had done a little more than A2 now we would be a little more humble. Making the Cup for us was an adventure, it meant not only competing at an international level but also managing very different logistics and working times, you see the team that every two or three days where to change attitude and preparation depending on the opponent. And then put the different refereeing yardstick, the lack of knowledge of the opponents. Without the Champions League we could have rested more, like we could have done better but it remains an important season: we entered the Cup through the back door, the QRound was our ranks. And now we find ourselves in the Top 16: not bad for those who are just 10 years old ».

Did you pay for the troubles in the Cup in the league? “Absolutely not. At least so far, maybe we’ll talk about it again in May, we hope, but at the moment it is not legitimate to think so. It is natural that taking the baccalaureate exam after 5 years of study involves stress, taking one a month as in university is the rule. And this is our case, a habit you have to have, like being focused every three days. The only regret is that we could have put more hay on the farm, that is a couple of more successes, when we were in top form ». To pass in 48 hours from the blow in Bologna to the triumph of Athens can only be explained by the different values ​​of the opponents? «We all agree that Segafredo is stronger than the Lavrio, but it is certain that in Greece the attitude was different, collective, harmonious: everyone took turns playing the protagonist but never out of the chorus. Jones was great at the beginning then he put himself at the service of the team. And I really liked Imbrò who in the end said: I’m also happy for those who weren’t here with us ».

There were probably even more stimuli. «Race 3, still without Sims and Soko, was to be avoided, it would have drained all our energy. Perfect preparation and approach to race2, everyone, including Jurkatamm, understood the situation and what they had to do. And having won both games in the fourth period means, in addition to mental solidity since we have always been in the lead by rejecting their comebacks, that our legs are still spinning ». –