Italy 153
Messina needs to deliver a masterpiece
Ettore Messina is coming home to Italy after a wildly successful itinerant coaching career to take on a job with all kinds of issues. Emmet Ryan on how Olimpia Milano’s hot seat is the Harrenhal of European hoops Game of Thrones had one particularly infamous castle that wasn’t noted for any battles or murders but […]
Mike Hall deserves so much better than this
A stalwart of the European scene, particularly Italy, and one of the most honest pros on Twitter, Mike Hall suffered racial abuse while in action for Virtus Cassino on Sunday as fans of visitors Siena disgraced themselves. Emmet Ryan on why it’s important to keep stating the obvious It’s 2019 and we’re still seeing stuff […]
Stuck behind the Iron Curtain, again
With the Azzurri having exited EuroBasket 2017 at the quarter final stage, Nicolò Origgi takes a look at the deeper issues that are limiting Italy’s progress and examines the benefits some nations with less fat to wade through have over the fallen powerhouse For the third time in a row, Italy has suffered a quarterfinal […]
Serbia show no mercy in disposal of Italy
Italy came to Istanbul with a plan and their goal was to essentially kill basketball. Sasa Djordjevic was having none of it and neither for that matter were his bigs. Emmet Ryan on how Serbia put Italy to the sword in a clinical display that was their most accomplished of the tournament to date And […]
Messina needs one more miracle
Ahead of Italy’s quarter final clash with Serbia at EuroBasket 2017, Emmet Ryan looks at the challenge facing one of Europe’s greatest ever coaches. In what may prove to be his last ever game coaching Italy, Ettore Messina will need to pull out all the stops to keep the Azzuri alive in Istanbul and there’s […]
Ruthless Italy put a halt to Markkamania
Italy rained threes early and stamped on Finland’s neck to book their place in the quarter finals in a performance that was far more comprehensive than the final scoreline suggests. Emmet Ryan on how Nik Melli made life miserable for Lauri Markkanen as Italy played a grown up game to progress It wasn’t Helsinki but […]
EuroBasket 2017: Group B preview
It’s almost time for Eurobasket so BallinEurope is breaking down each of the groups over the next few days. Rather than going team by team which, to be honest, would take way too long, we’re going group by group to preview the battles ahead in the opening stages. By process of following the alphabet, we’re […]
Danilo Gallinari’s Italian curse
It was one of the dumbest injuries in recent times and one that could seriously hinder Italy’s hopes at EuroBasket this September. Nicolò Origgi looks at how Danilo Gallinari’s moment of madness was a rare moment of his issues in a blue jersey being of his own making The latest chapter of Danilo Gallinari’s troubled […]
Ben Ortner- Carpe Diem or Nothing
When a big name arrives, someone has to pay the price. For one man on Reyer Venezia’s roster, he’s all too used to not being the go to guy but Nicolò Origgi found plenty of cause for Ben Ortner to take heart from the role he has so often played. As we bid farewell to […]
Cold blood, hot hands
With the Italian, and indeed European season as a whole, nearly over Nicolò Origgi looks at the men teams turn to when the game is on the line. Across Lega Basket, there are a few heads you know will be turned to when it’s time for that final push. They are the closers, the guys […]
The strange case of the Swiss jersey
Switzerland has a unique way of recognising the players who take all the shots and Nicolò Origgi reckons it could be fun if applied elsewhere. Here he looks at the Italian league players who deserve a jersey all of their own Even the most die-hard basketball junkies might not know that in Switzerland each team’s […]
Esteban Batista – The goalie in the middle
With the Italian finals tipping off on Saturday, Nicolò Origgi has found a player he can relate to well. Like Esteban Batista, he’s got some experience between the sticks, and the Reyer Venezia man is looking to climb to the top with the ball in his hands over the next couple of weeks Just as […]