After the important hiring of coach Romano, the Basket Club Bolzano does not stop and also secures the services of Valentina Calandrelli, who arrived in Bolzano in recent days and has already had the opportunity to be introduced to the parents of the youth team.
Valentina has been arriving for three years as technical manager of the youth sector of Benevento Basketball, where she has led the company to both quantitative and qualitative growth of the movement, as well as being head coach of Miwa in Serie B.
Hi Valentina, welcome to Bolzano where you will be Massimo Romano’s assistant coach in A2 and will also take care of under teams. We are particularly interested in your many experiences and successes as a youth coach and would like to build on that. Tell us about it.
“Good morning and thank you for the warm welcome, I would like to start by saying that for me being here in Bolzano, in an important place for women’s basketball and with a great history, is first of all a great honor and then an immense pleasure as well as a profound sense of responsibility.
Therefore, allow me to first of all thank President Valer and Alessandro Grazioli for the trust placed in me.
At a youth level, collecting the legacy of Coach Sacchi and his staff is a blessing to be able to do the best work in the gym and continue the training path of the girls in the youth sector. At the same time, being able to work with a coach of Massimo Romano’s caliber is very stimulating and for all these components I can’t wait to get started.
In my career I have always believed that the fulcrum of a club is the youth sector, from which it is possible to draw new resources, create and stimulate the spirit of belonging which is that added value that can help us achieve important goals and create a strong team identity. yes of technical, tactical and physical values but also of human values. And this is because young athletes, like the more experienced ones, are first and foremost people and we coaches must operate with a great sense of responsibility, taking care of them. Fortunately, in my professional career, I have always been allowed to work in multi-year projects and this has meant that I have been able to coach in the medium to long term and see many girls grow, also offering them the opportunity to face senior championships. As an assistant in A2 and as head coach in B, the objective was always individual improvement, from the most experienced to the young, because it is precisely through this type of improvement that a team’s performance can grow. However, I have always coached young teams and it has always been challenging, each time in a different way.
So, in all the clubs where I have coached, the idea has been to work to improve and enhance the young talents.
In Ariano Irpino and Cagliari, reaching inter-zone play-offs with u18 and u16 respectively, while in Benevento achieving promotion to women’s B, after only two years of activity in the squad, facing the women’s B championship with a very young team, with 12 girls out of 15 in Benevento. At the same time, a female youth movement was formed, also with decent results, in its second year of activity in the squad.
Since I love coaching young girls, I considered it one of the most beautiful and educational experiences to have participated in the 10th European international basketball camp u 15 for girls, where I had the opportunity to compare myself with coaches from other nations and train high-profile players. It was very educational and a real dream come true!”
You have enthusiastically embraced the project which aims at the growth of young players from Bolzano, the true future of the club. An undertaking that is not new to you and which you believe in a lot.
“I have always decided to embrace projects in which the growth of the youth sector was the main objective, because I strongly believe in the value of young people who, often, have given me more than I have been able to give to them.
As already said, I believe that the youth sector is the real resource to invest in and if it is in turmoil everything is simpler. On the other hand, a company that focuses on the youth sector is certainly a far-sighted company.
I believe that we need to make girls passionate about basketball and ENTHUSIASM is the engine that moves everything.
To achieve growth objectives it is essential to inculcate the right mentality, the attitude to work, the spirit of sacrifice and belonging. Fun will come from doing things well.”
Moving on to the A2 series, what do you expect from this season?
“I expect an exciting season, I am convinced that Massimo will be the right leader of this beautiful reality and I will be ready to be at his disposal and at the disposal of the team and club to achieve the set objectives.”
Do you already know the Bolzano environment? Tell us how you came to BCB.
“I was in Bolzano years ago as an opponent and on that occasion I had good feelings and I immediately liked the city.
After having concluded a beautiful chapter in Benevento, this great opportunity presented itself to me, which I could not fail to accept, which is why I am grateful to the club for having placed its trust in me and I hope to be able to reciprocate it in the best possible way.”
