This is not an ordinary season. This is far from an ordinary situation. Achille Polonara won’t take the floor this season. We all know why. Emmet Ryan on the Italian that was universally beloved before his current medical situation and why a continent is behind him.
Achille Polonara is a baller, a father, a teammate, a husband, and, most importantly as far as this column is concerned, a dude. He has never been the star but he has always been a guy you can count on. His workrate often overshadows his flair. The heart of Achille Polonara was never questioned. We know his road ahead isn’t easy for him but the outpouring of support for him has shown there isn’t a basketball fan in Europe that doesn’t have his back.
A man on a journey, not a journey man
Achille Polonara has played for 9 different teams in his professional career. Granted, the early part was conventional but then things truly got interesting. Starting relatively locally with Teramo, he made two stops further north in Varese and Reggio Emilia before joining Dinamo Sassari.
That is when things got fun. Sassari, of course, play in Sardinia and Achille truly felt the urge to stretch his legs, with stops at Baskonia then Fenerbahce. His move to Efes was downright conventional and wholly out of step with his career before the joyous move back towards the chaotic approach.
Off to Kaunas with Zalgiris before going to Virtus Bologna. He has rejoined Dinamo Sassari for this season but it’s unlikely we’ll see him on a court this campaign. Wherever he’s gone, and also in the Italian national team jersey, Achille Polonara has won admirers.
He is brave yet economical with the ball and isn’t afraid to take heavy contact if it means he might succeed. The balance of calm with courage is difficult for most ballers to master yet Polonara makes it look second nature.
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So of course this sucks
When Achille Polonara came back just two months after his testicular cancer diagnosis was made public, it was a moment of celebration for anyone that likes this sport. This summer, the bad news came. The myeloid leukemia diagnosis was like a gut punch that came after a story of resilience was meant to have ended.
My partner’s a doctor, I’m not. The long and short is that Achille has a condition that’s exhausting on its own even before the treatment but he fits the best possible profile physically to be able to get through it.
The outpouring of support was immediate and earned. Virtus Bologna went on to win the Scudetto, dedicating the title to Polonara. Marco Spissu wore 33 in his honour at EuroBasket. Despite my neutrality in the press box, I must admit that touch had me rooting for a deep run for Italy.
And, of course, what sparked me to write this now rather than any other time since June, was the video posted by Euroleague that you can see above. It’s just a bunch of people saying lovely things to him. It’s as simple as it gets and it was just lovely to watch.
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So about this season
It’s going to be rather odd watching Euroleague without Achille Polonara there. It’s going to be even weirder knowing we likely won’t see him suit up on any court for the foreseeable future. Even if everything goes well in treatment, and heaven knows we are all rooting for that, the recovery time is not short.
Still, we are fortunate to know that the thought of Achille Polonara will be inescapable this season. Dinamo Sassari will play in FIBA Europe Cup in addition to their Serie A duties and you can be confident that all of his former clubs along with countless more will be making sure to remind us all of how much of a dude he is.
No matter where or how you watch basketball this season, you’re going to be reminded of Achille Polonara and that’s a good thing. We will enjoy basketball, we will complain about things, and we’ll be perplexed at times. All the while, somewhere in our thoughts, will be Achille.
Forza Achi.
