Marco Ramondino: ʺRepesa's compliments make me proud. Capobianco is a great role model for me
Nearly two months after his arrival in Tortona, it was time to take stock of the first half of the season and discuss some current issues at Juventus with Marco Ramondino, first-team coach. The victory against Legnano in the final round of the championship ended a negative streak of three defeats and came after the departure of Preston Knowles, a decision made because " the team was having difficulty finding an effective way to play. Ours is a well-equipped team ," says coach Ramondino, " especially in the outfield, so, for my part, the decision to leave Knowles was made with a view to finding an identity as quickly as possible. I also believe that, with this structure, we can be more solid and concrete, with the idea of finding some certainties given that the growth we've seen throughout the season has stalled somewhat in the last two weeks ."
Sunday's victory was important, according to the Juventus coach, both in terms of "the standings, because we needed a win," and because it showed "that the path we've taken may be the right one. I say may be because too often we've stopped at our first impressions and haven't capitalized on what we were doing ." After a difficult start to the season for Derthona, Ramondino has very clear ideas about what the rest of the season should be and what needs to be done in the near future: "We need to give ourselves some peace and time to work on growing, because we can undoubtedly improve the quality of our game. It will be important to stop thinking that solutions can come from outside the group of players we have, as it is only with daily work in the gym that we can become stronger."
In addition to coaching Bertram, Ramondino is currently serving as Assistant Coach of the Under-20 Men's National Team, whose coach, Andrea Capobianco, visited Derthona Basket this Tuesday. With many years of experience on the staffs of youth national teams, the Juventus coach described the importance of the meeting with the Under-20 Men's National Team coach as follows: "We had the privilege of working with a coach who has made training, both players and coaches, a lifestyle choice. This doesn't happen very often, so we'll have to make sure we repeat these opportunities for discussion: Derthona Basket is a club with great potential, which isn't just tied to the results it has achieved and will achieve on the court. I personally believe that the secrets of the greats of our sport are to engage with each other, challenge themselves, receive input from others, and improve through opportunities like this . "
Ramondino's growth as a coach deserves some credit for his work as a coach, the U20 national team coach, whom he served as assistant for several years. The Juventus coach himself explains how Andrea Capobianco "was crucial on a personal and professional level, because the years I spent with him were the best of my life. I learned everything about coaching and saw a great coach dealing with the problems of small and medium-sized clubs on a daily basis, going from playing on outdoor pitches to winning the Mannheim Tournament, World Cup silver, or the Serie A1 Coach of the Year title. For me, he was a great example for his desire to rise above mediocrity and reach a certain level. From a personal standpoint, he is truly a member of my family ."
Another European-level coach who praised the Juventus coach was Jasmin Repesa, who in an interview with the Eurodevotion website identified him as one of his favorite Italian coaches (" Since I watch everything, I can tell you that Marco Ramondino makes his teams play really well. I like him a lot") . Ramondino expressed his satisfaction with the statements made by the former coach of, among others, Olimpia Milano, stating that "his compliments make me even more proud because they come from someone I haven't had the pleasure of working with. I just want to thank him for the words he spent on me, which are a further incentive to continue improving and doing even more, even in this new experience of mine in Tortona . "
