Respect earned, our goal remains the same - Angelo Gigli

Hello everyone! After the first four games of the competition, I have to say that I'm very happy for our performance so far. Before starting the season, I think nobody thought we would be able to get three wins in a row (losing the fourth game just in overtime), especially since we played against powerhouses like CSKA, Caja Laboral and Maccabi Electra! Nobody around the team is able to explain the difference in our abilities in the Euroleague games as opposed to Italian League games, but it probably has something to do with the name of the opponents, their tradition, and the level of concentration we place on the Euroleague games. By the way, I did not play the last game against Maccabi because I was injured a few days before in one of those Italian League games, against Biella at home in PalaLottomatica. I jumped too high for a rebound and coming down I sprained my left knee. I have to remain sidelined still for the next three weeks! The next time we play in the Italian League against Biella, I will ask Coach Gentile not to play me because I was injured playing against the same team during the 2008-09 season when I broke a finger!

We started our Euroleague season with Caja Laboral at home. We played a great game, and we probably surprised them. They did not expect us to play so team-oriented and with great intensity, but we showed ourselves to be solid and we won the battle under the glass despite a lot of experts saying we don't have the size to be competitive at this level.

A week later we travelled to Moscow to face the 2009 Euroleague runner-up. In this case, it was easier because we did not have any pressure on us! Many teams go to Moscow first of all to contain the difference. We played a good game, and we entered the last quarter very confident. Then it was a matter of making the right decisions in the last minutes, which we did. We got the win and deserved it!

The third game was in Athens against Maroussi, and our aim was to play a game focused on our goal. After winning in Moscow, it wasn't so easy to maintain our concentration. This time we had more pressure on our team as Maroussi came out to face us with great determination. Coach Gentile was able to prepare the game very well psychologically, however, and we took control of the match with an early lead.

Before speaking about the last, great game played in Rome, I must mention that all the time we travel as a team, there is Hervè Tourè writing and writing... For example, you go to breakfast, and you find him there, writing. But what is he writing? He has already published two books, one in French and one in Italian, on social problems. If I remember well, one was about the effects on kids of watching too much television. But please don't ask what he's writing now: nobody knows! We have another writer on our team, too. He's Ibby Jaaber, who writes poetry. Now you know why we're a special team!

Back to the big game, one of the best I have witnessed, last week against Maccabi. This game has been very tough for me, since I left the team a couple days earlier due to my injury. It was very hard to sit on the side of the bench in street clothes. As you know, we lost in overtime. Maccabi scored the clutch shots while we made decisive mistakes, the exact opposite of what we did in Moscow. In the end, though, I was happy because there was such a great atmosphere on the stands. Everybody in the club and on the team was happy to see that after we had won three consecutive games, the fans arrived to support us. There was also a big number of Maccabi fans, so it was really exciting to be there...but I was on the bench, unable to play! After the game our coach said he was proud of us, and those words gave us more confidence. He also said we have parts of our game to improve, and I think this break in the Euroleague schedule comes at the right moment for us to work in practice on some specifics. We'll go to play in Siena, one of just three undefeated Euroleague teams left, this Sunday in the Italian League, not an easy game. But it will be a great test on our way to Ljubljana to play Union Olimpija in one of the crucial games for our European season.

In these first four games, we earned the respect of other teams, but now we have to confirm it on the court. Our goal did not change: the Top 16 is a little bit closer, but there is still a long way to go through. I think the key for this great start is our group dynamic; we feel very well together. It's a big pleasure to go every morning and afternoon to the arena for practice. Everybody works hard, and this pushes you to do your best at all times, which in turn will help us to beat stronger teams. We have only to follow on this road to reach our goal and continue to be a real team!

POSTED BY

ANGELO GIGLI - ROMA, ITALY