Ducarello: “We start from scratch but against very strong opponents”

The coach happy for the result: the spirit put on by my players was commendable

the day after

Riso Scotti wrote recent history by winning game 5 in Mestre and qualifying for the play off semifinals. The players took advantage of a day off and today they will meet in the gym in the afternoon to aim for the next opponent: San Miniato with the series starting on Sunday. »It was a very long series with a considerable expenditure of energy – says Ugo Ducarello – the keystone was the defensive intensity. We fielded defenses that we had never fielded in the regular season, such as the man stretched across the board to put great pressure on the little ones in Gemini ».

Therapy yesterday for Donadoni, who took a blow on his right knee, and Torgano, also with an inflamed knee. Corral instead worked separately with the athletic trainer Alessio Firullo to improve the condition. «San Miniato – continues Ducarello – is very strong, he closed the regular season deservedly in first place in our group. At home they are also a war machine, as demonstrated by the quarter-finals with Monfalcone, with the three victories all arriving in Tuscany. It is a team organized with a group of players who have known each other for some time, coached by a dear friend like Alessio Marchini ».

The bar is getting higher and higher. «We start from zero to zero – underlines Ducarello – on Sunday we can lose by 1 or 100 points, but my players from the winning series with Mestre have learned that the result is always reset after each match. The spirit they put into play in my players was commendable, because everyone made themselves available and when I had to make corrections they responded present, showing attributes and heart, believing in it until the end. My secret? My nephew – jokes the coach – Elio Marini, who came from Sicily has brought us luck ».

From a tactical point of view, Ugo Ducarello has always found the right situation to turn every match in his favor. The coach of Riso Scotti yesterday saw and studied all the videos of the San Miniato play off series, a full immersion to prepare for game 1 (Sunday, 6 pm) and game 2 (Tuesday 31). «I can study and work, but the mental impact counts a lot – specifies Ducarello – San Miniato will have the pressure of having to win by playing at home, we will play calmly. When I arrived in Pavia we were ninth and with work we built victories that gave us certainty in these playoffs. Being in the semifinals is the result of a path that we have earned in the gym with sweat, work and also considerable anger. I talk a lot and involve the players in the choices. They are smart guys who say smart things. I reveal an anecdote: his friend Attilio Caja called me and told me to study my opponent well in race1 and in race2 try to make a bang in the last three. But I will also try it on Sunday ». –