«Here I had created a bond, not only sporting, but also social. For me it’s really like going home »: Luca Infante’s words, three years in the Rossoblu with the Coppa Italia won, debut in Europe, captain’s armband and today called again to lead a team called to subvert the predictions.
You have often said that this season is similar to 2013. Do you remember her in this too?
“We have in common the fact that at the time, in the summer, they didn’t give us a euro. I remember the rankings of the experts at the beginning of the season: they gave us thirteenth place out of sixteen. We finished with the Cup, after a championship that was always at the top and making Turin suffer until the end in the playoffs ».
And this year?
“This is a project. If you start from the basics, you can only grow. Like eight years ago, it is a sort of re-foundation, based on players who come from experiences in which they have played little at a senior level. It had been like this with Laganà, Raspino, Chillo, Lombardi, De Vico. And, compared to Hollis and Voskuil, our Americans this year are more experienced ».
Do you have to trust?
«The advantage of such a young team is that their potential is not fully known. It is shaped day after day with work. It was like this in 2013, today we will try to do the same. Andrea Zanchi, more than a coach, is a teacher, just like Andrea Niccolai ».
She too will play a key role in guiding: the coach himself said so.
«I put my experience at the service of the group. But “no one is born learned”: even I, at 39, can improve myself ».
How was your return to Biella born?
«I heard Zanchi, then president Trada. And then many people linked to Biella Basketball that I consider friends ».
Did you count the messages you received during and after the negotiation?
“Impossible. I consider them to be certificates of esteem ».
He knows the environment well, but also the coach.
«There is a close relationship with him, born when we were in Piacenza. Zanchi is a real person, a fundamental aspect in our environment. He pushed hard to get me back ».
What is the first impression on the team instead?
«He has to work hard because, of course, he starts further back than a group of seniors. But I was struck by the great attention of the boys in listening to the coach. Not everyone does. The human material is there. And the group is also forming ».
Do you already feel like a captain?
«I am not the one to decide, they will choose the coach, the team mates, the club. But I hope I am ».
Will he bring the whole family to Biella?
“It will happen soon: my partner likes the city. Among other things, the second child will be born at the end of November ».
The other time the birth coincided with a championship Sunday.
«I ran from Ferrara to Codogno to attend the birth. And then back to the building. I had Mike Hall up against. But I was charged up, I played very well. And we destroyed them ».