Alessio Gaudio: ʺMinibasketball has grown a lot. The comparison with other coaches is important
After his first few months as head of the Juventus minibasketball team, Alessio Gaudio reviewed the season's activities, which can only be "positive as we've increased the number of members compared to last year and launched a project in schools in collaboration with the Derthona Sports Club and the Camagna Foundation. Furthermore, the staff has also expanded, from the initial five people—me, Stefano Degrada, Dario Gay, Valentina Scardaci, and Clara D'Amico—we've now reached ten thanks to the participation of five young people from the youth sector, allowing us to make our offering more comprehensive ." Another aspect Gaudio enthusiastically emphasizes is the "kids' participation in events prior to Serie A2 home games, in which we've involved clubs from beyond our local area, such as Alba, which came to watch one of our games. This initiative has also been very successful among families, so next year we intend to expand it further ."
All four Juventus minibasketball teams—Esordienti, Aquilotti, Scoiattoli, and Pulcini—are participating in their respective championships: Gaudio explains how, "In the case of the Esordienti and Aquilotti, we participate in the federal championships in the group with the teams from the provinces of Vercelli and Novara, while the Scoiattoli have participated in some three-way tournaments with Serravalle and Valenza, playing two games on the same day on the courts of each of the participating teams. As for the Pulcini, starting next week, we will play games in mini-groups: for the boys, these will be their first competitive experiences, and it will be fun to watch them play. Furthermore, towards the end of the sporting year, we would like to organize the Regional Esordienti Jamboree: we are working with the Federation to host it ourselves . "
The interaction with the youth sector coaches, made possible logistically by the proximity of the offices and playing fields in Tortona, is another aspect that Gaudio believes is important for the development of the business, as " I am fortunate to work closely with a professional of the caliber of Massimo Bisin, who has great experience and gives me both personal and professional advice. In the office, I also interact with Paolo De Ros, Vanni Talpo, who in addition to being an assistant to the first team also coaches the DNG Under 18s, and with the president of the youth sector Andrea Ablatico, who oversees our activities on a daily basis. The collaboration that has been created ensures that problems are addressed and resolved with everyone's help ."
An important moment of discussion occurred during the visit to Tortona by Andrea Capobianco, coach of the Under-20 Men's National Team, who " gave us numerous ideas to work on ," says Gaudio, " because Capobianco is never banal and I believe he is one of the best youth team coaches we can count on in Italy. It was a formative and important experience because our club is trying to grow as a youth sector both locally and nationally . "
In addition to being responsible for the minibasketball team, Alessio Gaudio is also the coach of the Juventus Under 16 Eccellenza team. In his way of being, the coach " doesn't change, as I try to be a point of reference and an example for the boys as I believe it is important for their growth. The needs of the younger ones are no less important than those of the boys ." The main differences between the two roles concern "the objectives, which are very different. Furthermore, it is important to have good technical preparation because the Under 16 boys must be ready to face a difficult championship like the Under 18 DNG ."
In light of the journey players make from minibasketball to the youth sector, Marco Ramondino, who has always been dedicated to the development of young players, is of "fundamental importance ," Gaudio continues, " because he shows a young player growing up in our youth teams the end of the journey. Marco has a special eye for the young players who train with the first team; in the past, he has also been able to bring out the best in players who now play an important role in Serie A2. He also gives us advice because he participates in the youth sector's technical meetings and helps us calibrate the work to prepare the boys to play at the highest possible level. Marco completes us and is essential because he shows us the final goal ."
