Bologna –
On the occasion of the confrontation with Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia Romagna Region regarding the initiative of the T-shirts” Amore Infinito x Emilia Romagna” the CEO of Virtus Segafredo Bologna, Luca Baraldi, spoke this way to the microphones of TRC: “Yet another final with Milan, where the two teams that in the regular season have proven to be better meet. Of the last three finals played, it is perhaps the one where there is so much prestige in both rosters because it is the first time we face a scudetto final after also participating in the Euroleague since before the gap, from a technical point of view, was higher. We still consider ourselves to be the ones chasing the goal, but we don’t feel diminished and indeed it will be a final that we will play with all the determination we can muster: I’m sure that they will still be competitions, both in Bologna and Milan, with a great sporting spectacle.
Duopoly? I think that when basketball grows from a qualitative point of view, it is a positive value for the system so I think that as Ramondino said, it is a positive value for the movement and so many clubs can do well, with Tortona and Venice potentially having the ability to set up important rosters. At that point it becomes a stimulus, so it is not a dualism but two teams that are doing good for Italian basketball.
With this season comes the end of four years of great growth work, both sporting and corporate, so the time of adjustment will also come with the possibility of staying in the Euroleague from where we want to start again. We have arrived on a very high step, we have to have the possibility to stabilize and start again, taking into account the sporting objectives: we have to re-evaluate a roster, with many contracts expiring so we will do everything possible to have an extremely competitive roster next year as well, but with different considerations, also from an economic point of view. Euroleague requires us to do this in order to participate, and these are correct impositions, because a healthy management of the clubs allows for continuity, an aspect that I have greatly appreciated from the new commissioner Glickman, who aims for a financial balance, from which then consequently derives that of the show.
The coach? Right now he is focused and mentalized to the work in the gym here in Bologna: he is a great professional, a man who cares a lot about Virtus and is fully aware that he has we are playing for a final. He also cares about getting back to winning a scudetto after it’s been three decades since he won one, with the last one won in Pesaro: he’s the first one to have stimulation.”
