He raised the first, the second as well. The two Italian cups won by Dinamo have the signature of many stars at the bottom, from Diener to Logan, from Caleb Green to Sanders, but the “certification” …
He raised the first, the second as well. The two Italian cups won by Dinamo have the signature of many stars at the bottom, from Diener to Logan, from Caleb Green to Sanders, but the final “certification” is Manuel Vanuzzo who raises the trophy to the sky and is submerged by the embrace of his teammates team.
“If you ask me what is the first flash that comes to mind of those two triumphs, it is the moment of victory”, says the captain of the most successful Dinamo ever. Exactly 8 years have passed since the magical weekend in Assago, 7 years have passed since the triumph of Desio, but the images are still clear.
«We went to Assago“ just for ”, we were passing through – says Vanuzzo, who is now 47 years old and in Sassari he directs the sporting structure of Sporting Milano 26 -. It came from moments of ups and downs, we were at the Final Eight with few expectations. And then with the type of team we had, we were always an unknown factor, for others but also for ourselves. We were never easy to deal with, the talent was a lot but it also had to be managed in the right way. And that was Meo Sacchetti’s masterpiece, as we have always said ».
In short, Dinamo was not playing to win. “No, far from it. In fact, we were very light on a mental level, like every time we have won something important. The first Italian Cup was the most beautiful, in addition to the promotion from Legadue we had not won anything, and that historical moment remains more etched in the memory. The second was just as important and beautiful, but the first time is never forgotten ».
Meo, Drake, Travis, Caleb, the locker room, the company, the environment. What was the decisive element for that first triumph? «I say everything, but aside from the incredible performances of Drake Diener, in my opinion the group has made a difference. When you have 6-7 Americans it is difficult to put them together, having two “European” Americans like the Diener made the difference to ensure that the others also integrated with the rest of the group ».
Once again Dinamo arrives at the Final Eight with few expectations. And also this time in the quarters there is Milan. «Yes, now they are in a similar condition to ours in 2014 – says Vanuzzo, who played with the Red Shoes from 2002 to 2004 – and it is right that they play it serenely. There is only one thing: every year they say that Milan is unbeatable and then maybe someone else wins, but maybe Olimpia is really off the table this year. Even in the Euroleague we see that he has something more, I think they have found the right team. But Dinamo in the last few games, with the arrival of Robinson and Bucchi, has changed gears, they play well and have found a certain mentality. I repeat, on paper Milan is superior, but the beauty of the Italian Cup is that anything can always happen in a straight match. Dinamo certainly has nothing to lose and having a light head is a nice advantage ».
His “twin” Jack Devecchi, who inherited the rank of captain, is still in the breach. And in recent years he has had to deal with a perhaps more complicated task, at the level of the locker room. «The last year, with 8 Americans, was not easy … At the time there was no lack of trouble, but when things go well on the pitch everything is easier. Jack has been good in recent years to keep the group together even in the most complicated moments. The real captain can be seen in moments of difficulty ».