Thursday, 17.08.2006	posted by Stefano Valenti 1:48 pm
Category: FIBA World Championship

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RECALCATI GIVES 3 RULES TO ITALY AND FABIO DI BELLA NOW IS READY

SAPPORO? A very comfortable court to practice on and a very well equipped work out gym to get stronger.

This is the way Sapporo welcomed the Azzurri, after the short break of five days in Seoul (Korea), more useful to adjust the players to the new time zone (the same as Japan, 7 hours ached of Italy) more than the team on the road to the FIBA World Championship.

No illusions in "Casa Italia": the team is renewed for 6/12 comparing with the last one seen at Eurobasket 2005, and for 8/12 with the great one that won the Silver medal in Athens.

A result that was the main value on the table of the FIBA wildcard. Coach Recalcati, that was the master of this kind of revolution, knows it so well and already gives clearly the rules to the team: 1) rebounding control, 2) no silly turnovers, 3) move the ball well enough to find open shots from the three point line.

It seems easy, it seems nothing special, but it's the life for Italy, this time more than in the past.

With six rookies in a competition of this level, nothing is to appear easy: after they fought hard to find a shirt with the team, now they have to feel comfortable as soon as possible with the international basketball. A style that the starting point guard Fabio Di Bella, never played in his career.

But at the same time Fabio is the nice face of new Italy: always smiling, positive, he got the skills to show a good basketball in playmaking, and in Seoul a couple of his plays, behind the back or with a no-look pass, matched the "oohhh" that the Korean spectators reserved to the Wade-LBJ connection.

"In Athens I crashed with violenza against a wall called Tony Parker, that since that time a saw just on tv: I learned a lot of things in that night, next time I'll be ready," he told us.

The veterans like Basile, Marconato and Soragna showed that they're now closer to have a good shape, after that coach Recalcati was really worried about all of them.

But it's always known that players like this, that went into challenge like Olympics and Eurobasket, knows so well what they've to spend in the warm-up, and how important is to keep the energy for the real challenge like the FIBA World Championiship is.