by Domenico Ciquera
This morning we interviewed Giulio Caricasole, new coach of Dinamo Nuovi Orizzonti Taranto (women’s basketball team playing in Serie B), with whom we spoke about the bond that unites women’s basketball and the city of Taranto. Here are his words:
With what spirit are you preparing to live this new professional adventure?
“With a lot of enthusiasm and a great desire to do. After two or three years of reflective pause by choice, the time has come for me to put my shoes back on and get back on the parquet. I believe that for me and for the city of Taranto it is the right thing.”
How did you contact the company and what pushed you to accept the challenge?
“There is a thirty-year relationship that binds us with the property. I played for five years for the Ciliberti family between the 90s and 2000s. From there the thread that tied Giulio as a person to the Ciliberti family was never broken. In recent years, these contacts have intensified and at the end of this championship there was the first contact. We got lost for a short time and then met again and concluded quickly and easily.”
Women’s basketball in Taranto has a great tradition. Is this a further incentive for you?
“It is certainly a further stimulus. Even if they are now far away, we all have in our eyes and ears all the good things that have been done in Taranto in the women’s field, with championships and participation in European championships. Something that we saw for the first time in Taranto and then never saw again. People are hungry for basketball in Taranto. The enthusiasm has grown following the team over time and next year we must try to continue this enthusiasm. Furthermore, I follow two coaches who preceded me and who did an excellent job. I am happy and happy to continue in their footsteps. My job must be all of this: the club’s coat of arms, the basketball tradition in Taranto and the coaches who preceded me will certainly be a stimulus to encourage me to do my best.”
How important will the audience be next season?
“The public is a fundamental part of the entire basketball system. I followed the team last year and saw the enthusiasm grow game after game, until I saw the stands full in the last home game. Basketball is played indoors and the audience is even more important. So the invitation is to stay close to the girls and to stay close to society because both components deserve it.”
What are the goals now?
“The club and myself would very much like to confirm what was done last year with our participation in the playoffs. It will be difficult, but we will try. This does not mean that I like to dream with my feet firmly on the ground. So, if we manage to do as we hope, a roster choosing the right players, dreaming is priceless and we can start doing it.”
A message for the fans…
“I look forward to them all starting from the presentation of the team, which I believe will take place around the beginning of September, to the first friendly matches, as well as the cup which will be played before the start of the championship. We enthusiastically await the start of the national Serie B championship to start where we left off, with the Palamazzola grandstand full and convinced of witnessing the show that we will have to offer.”
