Simone Giofrèsports director of NutriBullet Treviso after having held the same role for a few years at New Basket Brindisi, was interviewed by Il Gazzettino di Treviso precisely in view of the challenge which has enormous value in terms of salvation at PalaPentassugli next weekend.
From former Brindisi as manager of Treviso. “How will I experience the match? As a professional I only have to think about us and our performance, as if it were any other race. As you will have understood, from weekend to weekend the opponent we face doesn’t matter much, because we always have to try to win. We found ourselves in this critical situation alone and had to face it with a knife between our teeth, without ever taking our heads out of the water. It was a season in total apnea.”
Instead from a human and personal point of view. “For me Brindisi is home: I worked there for five years, I made some deep friendships, I had a great time. I experienced New Basket like a second skin, the president Nando Marino gave me full trust and great responsibilities and I will remain forever linked to him. It was like working for a club I owned, the memory is wonderful. The human relationships established with many collaborators have become fraternal. I hug them all virtually. The emotional part is involved, but on Sunday we’re going to play a basketball game. It is right that the pitch speaks and we must concentrate on our work.”
Benefits from four consecutive victories. “The team has certainly acquired more solidity and mentality now. The fact that we won tight games within two possessions of the gap with Trento, Pistoia and Pesaro was very important, because at the start we had lost them all. It is a sign of growth on a mental level, of confidence. It was quite foreseeable that a completely new and young team could take some time. After the first nine races, we are third in the standings: from then on, something has changed. We have made a change of pace in terms of certainties and hierarchies. At the beginning we were never complete: there are many elements that made the difference.”
One of the bets won this season was Pauly Paulicap: “He has a very short basketball history, very little experience. He started playing basketball late and still has many aspects to improve. If you think you’ve got Jabbar on board, you’ve already lost from the start. If you have time to wait for it, as we have decided to do, pick up something good. In the long term his performances have grown, he is a boy who needs a lot of confidence.”
