The Pre-Olympic in Puerto Rico is without a doubt the most important event for Italian basketball in 2024. The approach to this tournament, however, is turning into a real nightmare for Gianmarco Pozzecco and the Italian national teamwhich is losing one player at a time week after week. The last case is that of Matteo Spagnolowho will definitely not be with the national team this summer.
Unfortunately the Alba Berlin player will have to undergo surgery to treat a persistent inflammation of the left metatarsal. The expected stoppage is between three and four months, with the Italian playmaker therefore not being available for Gianmarco Pozzecco.
Spagnolo’s absence adds to that of Gabriele Procida. For him too there is talk of a 3-4 month stoppage for the operation on the patellar tendon of his left knee. Both Procida and Spagnolo had been called up by Pozzecco for last year’s World Cup and therefore were eligible for a call-up for this summer’s matches as well.
The biggest concern, however, in the blue environment it is the one due to Simone Fontecchio’s big toe injury. Gianmarco Pozzecco himself said he was decidedly worried: “Unfortunately, Simone did not actually play the final part of the NBA season due to the injury that struck him. And it’s a shame because he was playing fantastically. Now the first thing we need to do is give a precise assessment of his injury as soon as he returns to Italy shortly. We obviously hope that the injury isn’t serious, we’ll see but I don’t deny that I’m a little worried about Simone.”
Fontecchio’s absence would certainly be devastating for Italy. The Italian national team really can’t do without its best player, the one who was the best Italian scorer at both the last European Championships and the last World Cup. The hope is obviously to recover the Pescara native as soon as possible and then play for his Olympic hopes in Puerto Rico.
