Bologna, September 18 –
This morning, Virtus Bologna’s latest signing, Aliou Diarra, was presented at the Palestra Porelli.
His first impressions? ‘First of all, I would like to thank Virtus and all the staff for welcoming me. Now the most important thing for me is to adapt to the system, get into the team dynamics and do what the coach asks of me, regardless of my specific characteristics on the court. The most important thing is to adapt to the system and talk a lot with the coach and his assistants to understand what they want from me.’
My first time in European basketball. ‘I had already heard about European and Italian basketball during my two experiences in the Summer League. The level is very high, the type of basketball is different, but I’m ready to take on this challenge. I immediately watched some Virtus games once I got the call, both in the Euroleague and in the league. I was very happy about this call and I’m ready to get involved.’
The Afrobasket experience? ‘A very good experience, even though we lost in the final. It was my first time at Afrobasket, so I’m even happier with how it went from my point of view.’
‘I didn’t know any of my new teammates personally, but in these first few days I’ve already had the chance to get to know them and study them. I already know some of the opponents I’ll be facing in the Euroleague. I saw one of them on Saturday in the match against Bayern. His name is Gabriel, he’s from South Sudan, and I had the chance to meet him at Afrobasket. My idol? Anthony Davis.’
