Dario Gay: «A great emotion to play against Rieti»
TORTONA. «The match against Rieti was a great emotion». Dario Gay, a 19-year-old point guard, has worn the Derthona shirt since his mini-basketball days. For thirteen years he has been playing on the parquet in the Lions jersey and on Sunday in the victory against Rieti he was on the pitch for ten minutes which are worth more than a hundred points. The passion for Derthona is a family matter. «My father accompanied and followed the youth teams, everything starts from there. I started playing when I was six years old, on Sunday it was an incredible emotion to play at PalaOltrepo in front of so many fans", explains Dario who started training with the senior team when he was 14 years old. Against Rieti he scored 5 points, a bomb and a stop and shoot, and had several minutes thanks to Simoncelli's absence due to injury. His long shot in the second half blew up the stadium. His girlfriend and some school friends were there to see him in the stands. «It's a shame that I didn't go to school the next day – says Dario -, but I received many messages. I thank the club and the coach who gave me this great opportunity, Andrea Ablatico because he believed in me." The maturation process of the boy from Tortona also passes through the experience that more experienced companions can pass on to him. Who is the role model in the locker room? «Marco Spissu, despite being very young, already has experience. I see myself in him as a player and I take advantage of the advice he gives me." What does Coach Cavina ask you to improve during training? «The vision of the game to circulate the ball quickly and get the percentages right». So far Gay has made four appearances this season, the one against Rieti was the match in which he was the most protagonist. What is the goal for the end of the year? «Continue to go on the bench, try to play as many minutes as possible to demonstrate my value. I always have to try to be ready."