Italy basketball legend Dino Meneghin has made an emotional appeal to Andrea Bargnani, Marco Belinelli and Danilo Gallinari to play for the Azzurri in next year's Additional Qualifying Round for the EuroBasket.
Injury prevented New York Knicks rookie Gallinari from taking part this summer while NBA commitments with Toronto and Golden State, respectively, for Bargnani and Belinelli stopped each from joining.
Without their three rising stars, Italy managed to win just four of their eight qualifying games in Group A and that was only good enough for a third-place finish behind Serbia and Bulgaria.
Meneghin, who was this week appointed Italian Basketball Federation commissioner in the wake of Fausto Maifredi's unexpected resignation as president, told Legabasket.it: "We´ve had a huge problem this summer with qualification. We missed a lot our three NBA players while we had other injured players.
"My hope, my certainty that I can offer at this time, is that the players across the Atlantic understand the dramatic moment of our national team that really needs to take part in the EuroBasket 2009.
"Their presence is crucial and necessary. In this case I make their appeal to their team spirit and their love of the national team, many times said and read on the newspapers but that now needs to be shown on the court.
"Once called, they must respond to the call-up of the national team, of coach (Carlo) Recalcati, things that have been done by all the great players of the NBA.
"They should be with us so that the national team, which belongs to everyone, can go to the EuroBasket and regain the prestigious place where it belongs."
Italy will take on France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Finland and Portugal in the Additional Qualifying Round with just one place for the EuroBasket up for grabs.
Also check my Basketball spot for more Basketball news
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment