Closing the championship with a victory in front of their fans would have been nice and it was what everyone expected, but against Varese the red and whites weren’t connected to the game and compared to other times they never gave the feeling of being able to win it . Let’s say that the team already had its mind on the playoffs. “We were soulless, we were flat and the coach told us so in a few words at the end of the match – says Ryan Hawkins – As regards the pairing with Brescia in the first match we played on equal terms for thirty-five minutes and now we have to find the latter five minutes to play until the end. I’m very excited to play in the playoffs.
In the end, a painless defeat if not for the statistics and for that data which sees the difference between internal victories and defeats with a negative sign. “This fact is quite frustrating for us players – admits Hawkins – and during the year I believe that we could have won at least four more games at home. Not the one against Varese because we weren’t there, but on other occasions yes”. Estra, however, has shown a lot so far, not only that it can compete against anyone but that it has made giant strides from the beginning of its preparation to now. It must not be forgotten that Pistoia is a young team with players who were at their first experience in the top flight, some at their first time away from home and having achieved first the Final Eight then salvation and finally the play offs was a great feat resulting from great work by the staff and the desire to demonstrate that players can fit in. “The fans see us during the matches – continues Hawkins – few follow us during training but if I think about what we were in August and what we are now the difference between day and night. We are ready for Brescia”.
Maurizio Innocenti
