A very hard blow first and foremost for Kadeem Allen himself, but at the same time for Unieuro’s morale and the future that awaits them from Sunday 5 May in the play-offs. The complete lesion of the Achilles tendon of the left ankle obviously puts an end to the season of the guard from Wilmington right in front of the entrance door of the “big dream” of the Forlì team and also compromises the start of the next one, but due to its effects on the red and white team it is an incalculable loss.
Not only without Allen Forlì shortens the rotations precisely when they will play every three days, but it is deprived of an out-of-class talent and one of the least containable players in the whole of A2 in one-on-one situations. Coach Antimo Martino, guest on Tuesday evening on the TeleRomagna television show “Panorama Basket”, is as heartbroken as every red and white fan. «The diagnosis confirmed what we had immediately feared, even if we tried to keep a flame of hope alive until the end. First of all, we feel sorry for him, for a golden boy, very humble and generous, who had shown throughout the season that he really cared about us. We feel sorry for his teammates, collaborators, the club and the fans. No one could have thought of finding themselves in such a situation in the best phase of the year which we arrived at with so much enthusiasm and so many certainties. It is clear that we now have two options: feel sorry for ourselves or react. Personally I have no doubts about the option we will opt for. We will use this latest unfavorable episode to unite us even more. Even if the value of the match was relative, we demonstrated once again that we could do it on Sunday against Latina.”
There will inevitably be a huge change in the way Martino himself will have to put the team on the field, adapting it to a situation he has already experienced this year. Without Allen, for example, Forlì beat Rimini in the derby with a super Zampini. Sure, a single match, now potentially 5 arrive in 10 days three times. «This season we have earned the advantage of home advantage for all the play-offs and making it count now becomes our objective: together with our fans we must have the courage to defend our field even without an important player and with balances that will change . We will find alternative solutions to still be competitive despite having to put many things aside in these two weeks.”
The coach’s speech is of ironclad logic: Forlì will have the “beauty at home” in every round. Keeping the Pala Galassi clean would mean Serie A. «Well yes, we will try not to be influenced too much by this bad luck, it won’t be easy but the reaction will be there even if everything is more complicated in the play-offs. The support of our public will be absolute and I am sure of it because in Forlì sport is experienced with great passion. Bad luck will fuel the desire to help us and it will be important that our field factor makes itself felt.”
In the right way, or rather “intelligently”, he immediately wants to point out. «Precisely because we need our fans more than ever this time – concludes the red and white coach – we don’t want to run the risk of having problems. There must be positive support, all for us, and I am convinced that this will be the case as happened in Rome in the Italian Cup and in many other circumstances. The loss of Kadeem will make the public and the team one. Even more than it already was.”
