Demis Cavina interviewed on LegaPallacanestro.com
We report on derthonabasket.it the beautiful interview with Demis Cavina published this morning by Lega Pallacanestro after the two nominations as "Coach of the Month" in January and March 2017. The Juventus coach spoke about his experience at Derthona, then touching on topics such as his own coaching career and his interests outside the parquet.
link: http://www.legapallacanestro.com/demis-cavina-“-i-miei-20-anni-panchina-una-tortona-da-playoff”
– Coach Demis Cavina, coach of the month for the second time in the West. Tortona in the playoffs for the second consecutive season, with a streak of 11 wins out of 12 matches in the 2017 calendar year.
– The results of this period start from afar, from the summer preparation, from a team idea that has matured over time. There has been individual growth on the part of the many players making their debut in this championship, as well as group growth, which has allowed us to achieve great results.
– Did you expect to have a top championship, considering the only two confirmations compared to last season, reduced to just one (Garri) with Reati's move to Forlì in December?
– This summer many thought that we couldn't repeat last year's season (3rd place in the regular season, eliminated in the playoff quarter-finals in 5 games by Brescia, then promoted). I believe that the secret is in the fact that a company and a team are made up of people, and to obtain results you must rely on men who have the will and hunger. The quality of the people who make up Derthona Basket is very high, and it is the most important aspect.
– Apart from the aforementioned departure of Reati, you essentially did not intervene on the market (the winger Massimo Taverna, born in 1991, was acquired). Has this favored the growth of the group and made some players responsible?
– The fact of not having intervened on the market, after Reati's departure, was a precise choice and this allowed us to better understand the qualities of some players and of our group. Always keeping the human aspect first.
– In this championship you have not had excessive conditioning from the 11 matches played in Casale Monferrato, (record 8-3). With his return to Voghera after the expansion works, he immediately achieved two victories, in front of an enthusiastic public. Could it be an extra weapon in view of the season finale?
– In hindsight I would say yes. This year we have been a team constantly on the move, even on a daily basis, and in the long run this has cemented the group and the work of the staff, allowing us not to suffer too much from these movements. I believe the fact of returning to Voghera and playing in a facility full of enthusiasm and spectators could be an added value for the end of the regular season. Not so much for the playoffs, which are a separate tournament and factors such as depth of personnel come into play.
– Are you approaching the decisive phase of the season with a particular objective?
– In the playoffs it's not about making a good impression, it's just about winning. This is why companies built to win, who aspire to promotion, are still active on the market. We didn't start among the favourites, but if we manage to maintain the policy of small steps in the playoffs, looking from match to match and focusing on quality and intensity of play, we will be able to worry teams with greater objectives.
– A peculiarity of the Serie A2 playoffs is the meeting in the round of XNUMX between teams from different groups. What is your opinion regarding the average level in the two groupings?
– I believe that technically there are not many differences between East and West. Undoubtedly this year in the East there are teams with great media fame, last year it was said that the West was more interesting. But then the final was between Brescia and Fortitudo Bologna, two teams from the East. Making predictions in the playoffs is very complicated.
– You are in your third season in Tortona and you have managed to confirm yourselves at excellent levels in every championship, despite the many changes, in a team that had never previously played tournaments at this level. Has the corporate structure favored this performance in the different seasons?
- Undoubtedly there is a certain complicity and synergy between me and the company, I immediately felt great trust from my first day here. It is a model company in many aspects, also for the fact that it takes great care of the staff, who perhaps are not originally from Tortona. Finally, very importantly, the fact that we had different objectives for each championship allowed us to continually face new challenges.
– Let's talk a little about her, her coaching career began at just 23 years old in her hometown Castel San Pietro, at 26 she was in Serie A2 in Castelmaggiore and at 27 she was coaching in Serie A in Roseto. Today you are 43 years old and facing your twentieth season as head coach. What memories do you have of your first years? It is not so common to face certain experiences at such a young age.
– Starting so early allowed me to skip the assistantship step and immediately take on personal responsibilities. In my initial period, between Castel San Pietro and Castelmaggiore, I was lucky enough to learn a lot from coaches of the various Bolognese clubs, primarily Virtus and Fortitudo, who allowed me to build my first technical identity. What I certainly haven't lost compared to those years is the desire to train, to be in the gym. I have always maintained great motivation.
– Looking at your numerous experiences, was there any that were most useful for your career, that you remember with pleasure? Has he remained fond of any player in particular?
– Many people have given me something, I have learned certain aspects from each player and collaborator, naming names would be an understatement. I have good memories of all the places where I coached and I am pleased to have maintained contact with many people. Even the less easy periods were still formative and I can say that I am satisfied with what I have done.
– The private Cavina: what are his main interests outside the pitch? Does he have particular passions?
– I don't have much time outside of basketball, I dedicate it to reading and cinema. I like playing golf, a passion that I share with many people in our world. It is a sport that greatly stimulates concentration and has become my main pastime in the summer months.
