June 28, 2024, 07:24
3 min of reading
TRAPANI – The message of best wishes for the return to Serie A1 and the “beautiful memories” of a city, Trapani, with “a great passion for basketball”. The postcard comes from the United States, and specifically from New Jersey. He sends it Wendell Alexisprotagonist of the only year of Serie A1 in the history of the Granata, now 32 years ago. “I am enthusiastic about the promotion of the Sharks – he says to LiveSicilia -. A fantastic goal for the club, the company, the fans and the entire city”. The Brooklyn-born power forward, nicknamed ‘the black swan’ for his elegant movements on the parquet, now works in the field of health services at ‘Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health’. “A job that allows me to continue working in sports, also taking care of the well-being of athletes”, he says.
Trapani returned to A1 after 32 years from that historic experience.
“I heard about this promotion and I’m excited. I follow the news via the Shark Facebook page. I’m also in touch with my former teammates and my friend Teresa Scalabrino keeps me updated on the team and the city.”
Do you want to send a message to the Trapani fans?
“Dear Trapani people: first of all, congratulations on this extraordinary achievement. The return to A1 is a victory for the club, the city and the entire territory. Your passion for basketball is great, it is made up of generations of fans who support the team. I wish the club and all of you to continue to be successful in A1”.
What memories do you have of your experience in Trapani?
“Good memories. Ours was a young team, we learned early to play and win even in the top league against some of the best teams in Europe. I watched again on Youtube the victorious games against Messaggero Roma and the famous jump shot of Stefano Tosi against Scavolini Pesaro (the basket that gave Trapani the play-out and the hope of salvation in that top championship, ed.). I also remember with a smile the bags of salt swept away from the pitch shortly before the match. There in Trapani I met wonderful people who are still my friends today.”
That Trapani almost achieved salvation but that team and Wendell Alexis have remained in the minds and hearts of the Trapanese.
“Mannella, Cassì, Tosi, Piazza, Zucchi, Hurt, Martin and Castellazzi were the heart of that Trapani team that achieved promotion to A1. When I arrived I knew how determined and tenacious they were, as much as the promotion coach, Gianfranco Welcome. I never played in a team coached by him but I knew how ‘tough’ he was, just like my coach from the Siena days Given Lombardi. That year in A1 was tough: we understood that getting to the top league is difficult but staying there is even harder. It was the year of the Messaggero team, with Mahorn and Radja, but we managed to beat them both in the first leg and in the second leg, proving that a team is worth more than the money spent”.
Today Trapani Shark is an economically stronger company, what advice do you feel like giving to president Antonini who is investing so much?
“Think long term. We need to work to make a project sustainable over time and not short term. We need to involve the most representative players of the club and also focus on coaches who enhance young people, in whom we need to invest. We also need to involve people linked to basketball, obtaining the support of the institutions and not only of the entrepreneurial fabric but of the entire Trapani community. Trapani must become ‘the team of Sicily’ and must be able to export the culture of that territory. When people think of Trapani Basket, they must keep three things in mind: talent, ability and tenacity”.
Would you like to return one day to hug the people of Trapani again?
“Yes and I’m planning to come back next year. I can’t wait to return to Trapani and see many friends again, we would also like to attend a Shark match.”
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Published on
June 28, 2024, 07:24
