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Albert Schweitzer 2012: Italy Preview

April 5th, 2012 · No Comments

In our next preview for the Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2012 in Mannheim, we will check the team from Italy. After their surprising run during the U18 European Championship 2011 in Poland, some of the main players are still eligible to play in the U18 category as explains Luca Virgilio.

Coach Capobianco made his roster for the Italian National Under -18. The 16 players will train together from 3 to 6 April in Sant’Elpidio, then they’ll transfer to Germany to participate the 26th Albert Schweitzer Tournament from 7 to 14 April. The Italian national team, after the 4th place in the European Under 18 Championship and the silver medal in the Under 20, is ready to launch into orbit another team full of talent. Matteo Imbrò (Virtus Bologna) and Amedeo Tessitori(Virtus Siena) are without any doubt the most well known players in Europe certainly thanks to their great performance last year in Poland.

Here are some of the best Imbro’s action during the last FIBA U18 Championship.

Here is the amazing last minute of Virtus Siena – Stella Azzurra, 3-4 place finale of NIJT in Rome, with some great plays by Amedeo Tessitori:

We must not underestimate players like Mirko Turel (Aget Imola), who has won the award as the best scorer at the NIJT “Città di Roma 2011” this year with Stella Azzurra , or big man Francesco Candussi(Reyer Venezia), one of the most interesting talent of the Italian basketball.

Capobianco’s team has got many alternatives among the perimeter players like the talented Bartoli from Armani Milano, the big guard Fontecchio from Virtus Bologna or the multi skilled guard Rodriguez from Stella Azzurra, but the team is likely to suffer for the absence of valid alternatives for players who play near the basket. In fact, the national team will have only two real centers (Candussi and Tessitori) and this could be a problem.

But as I said there are talented players and Landi (Virtus Bologna), Laquintana (Ruvo di Puglia) or Benvenuti (Don Bosco Livorno) surely can be able to give an important contribution to the cause, unfortunately due to an injury Bianconi from Virtus Siena can not participate at the tournament.

Among all the Italian national youth, perhaps this is the most promising team and this effort in Germany will certainly be important to understand how players can mix together.

Luca Virgilio is a Basketball Coach for Stella Azzurra Roma. He writes from time to time about young Italian players and collaborates with eurohopes.com. You can find him on Twitter @LucaVirgilio

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