Often in Tokyo: he speaks the first and only Sardinian basketball player at the Olympics, in Russia in 1980. And there was also Sacchetti
SASSARI. She was the first (and so far only) Sardinian basketball player to reach the Olympics, in Russia, in 1980. Now it’s the turn of the first basketball player, Marco Spissu, from Sassari like her. «I cannot say the happiness I felt when I heard about Marco’s call-up to the Tokyo Games. I immediately sent him a message to compliment him. Wow, he replied, do you realize? We are the only Sardinians, and moreover from Sassari, to have hit the ball in basketball. Great Marco ».
Nunzia Serradimigni, born in Sassari, born in 1960, undisputed talent of Italian women’s basketball (debut in A1 at just 16 with Algida in Rome, at 20 at the Olympics) Marco Spissu knows him well. Son of Paola Santona, her partner when she was playing Sassari in B1, she saw that child at the Palazzetto during the interval of Dinamo matches taking the ball, shooting and making a basket. Always. «I remember it as if it were today, he must have been 4 years old. During the intervals of Dinamo matches he took over the parquet as if he were born to do what he does today: play basketball. The whole building stopped to see him and applaud him ». And it is with Nunzia that Marco begins to play. «When he came to my school, Sportissimo Sassari, he must have been 10 years old, he stayed for a couple of years. He was small, but he already played as an adult, he could have coached his teammates from how good he was. Basketball came naturally to him, on the other hand with his father Francesco as coach and his mother as a player has always had the ball in her hands. But that talent was given to him: he was born to play basketball. When I heard about his call-up to the Games the other night, it was an immense joy but certainly not a surprise. How is talent recognized? You see it right away when a child is able to show skills quickly and effortlessly. Then to become champions, in addition to the physical, you need a quick intelligence, just like the one that Marco has. It was a shame not to see him on the pitch against Serbia, but he certainly hadn’t recovered from the injury and Sacchetti made the right choice ».
Marco Spissu publicly thanked Nunzia Serradimigni for having “put a basketball in his hand and it is fantastic to think of retracing the footsteps of a great sportswoman like her”. «But when ever …, Marco did everything by himself. I only have the merit of having pushed him to definitely choose basketball. As a child he also played football and was very good, I passed on to him the passion for the basket. For the rest, I repeat, he did everything himself ».
In 1980, in Russia, together with Nunzia Serradimigni there was also Meo Sacchetti. «The men’s Italbasket won silver. Meo was a great player and is now a very strong coach. If Italian basketball returns to the Games after 17 years, it’s his credit. He put on a team with little training, he worked a miracle. We won with midgets, without a long, against the giants of Serbia. What a good Meo. The secret? Don’t put the players under pressure, create team spirit. Meo transmits serenity, this is the secret ».
Another Spissu in sight in Sassari? «For the moment we don’t see any. I would like to remind young people that it is true that you need to have talent, like Marco, but you also need to work. Much. It takes talent and head ». Italbasket will debut on 25 July against Germany at 6.40 am. “It will mean that I will not go to sleep. I’m a night owl, I don’t go to bed before 4am, so I’m going to have a whole tirade. Marco I don’t want to miss him ».