“Courage, one, if he doesn’t have it, he can give it”, wrote Alessandro Manzoni in “I promessi sposi”. In the Bergamo that offered asylum to Renzo Tramaglino, the Rossoblù Don Abbondio was Teddy Hawkins: tendon pain was a nuisance kept at bay during the month off and that had not prevented him from training until Friday. But a few hours after the duo of the first match of the black group he pulled back: “He didn’t feel like playing – sighs the club manager Marco Atripaldi – and I can’t oblige him”. As if it wasn’t already so difficult, the bench of an American with 15.5 points and 7.1 rebounds on average has turned into an extra problem for Iacopo Squarcina, forced to rethink at the last minute a game plan after having prepared it for days – or maybe weeks – with the conviction of having him too.
In the figures of the -10 collected in Lombardy, the unconditional rebound surrender immediately catches the eye: 53-32 was the final result, with the old parquet wolf Tony Easley making the very big voice in an area less painted than usual by rossoblù. In Atripaldi the pupils dilate in front of two other numbers: 11 fouls suffered against 24 committed. “And of the eleven, two arrived with the clock running out just to keep us from being pulled – says the club manager -. Our opponents were good, their Americans very good with Jones who made masterpieces in attack. But I can’t believe that Miaschi, with all the penetrations he has tried, closed with zero whistles in favor ».
Canceling and starting again is the first imperative because tomorrow the Blue Star arrives. Trying to recover Hawkins is the second: if you see the difference with the courage of Laganà who has been living with a knee problem since January, it is true that the almost two years of stop after a serious injury would be a constant thought for anyone, in presence of physical discomfort. Yesterday the number 23 reappeared in the gym with his teammates for the light training after the competition. But the clear head counts more than muscles: “If he can’t play to the fullest – says Atripaldi – he risks being a burden for everyone”.