Quirino De Laurentiis: ʺWe want to have a good season, I can't wait to get startedʺ
"Basketball wasn't very popular in Guardiagrele, a small town of seven thousand inhabitants in the province of Chieti: therefore, as a boy I played football, water polo, and five-a-side football. Then, at the age of sixteen – these were Quirino De Laurentiis ' first words as a new player for Bertram Derthona – I started playing basketball regularly and I haven't stopped since ."
At the end of his five years of high school, Quirino had to choose between continuing his studies or playing basketball: at first, " I thought about continuing my studies ," but then his father and a friend who was an agent convinced him to "try playing basketball for a year, with the possibility of going to university the following year. The season at Castelfiorentino, in Serie B, which was my first experience away from home, changed things, allowing me to begin my senior career ."
After the year in Tuscany, the new Bertram player played five consecutive seasons in Agrigento: wearing the Sicilian team's jersey, he faced Tortona several times over the years. As an opponent, his feelings about playing against the Bianconeri were "good and bad at the same time, as I've never managed to win against Tortona away. The arena is always very hot, and the teams have played an important role in the division. The hope is to find, this year, the same things I saw as an opponent . "
In Piedmont, Quirino meets Bruno Mascolo again, with whom he shared the final part of the 2015/16 season in Agrigento: in those months "there was no opportunity to deepen the relationship, I hope to get to know him better now because I consider him an excellent guy: I can't wait to start the season together".
Among the reasons that pushed the player to accept the Juventus club's offer, a significant role was played by his high ambitions and "the desire to perform well in a top-level championship. It's pointless to talk about results now, because we still need to get to know each other as a team and find the right chemistry. Given the roster that is being assembled, however, I think we can have a great season . "
Throughout his career, De Laurentiis was given the nickname 'Ringhio', which came about " in the early years when I played in Agrigento because of my grit and desire to fight for every ball. From that moment on, 'Ringhio' has accompanied me throughout my career ."
In conclusion, Quirino wanted to talk about the use of social networks and interaction with fans, explaining how " I tend to be more active on Instagram than on Facebook. This week, many Tortona fans have added me on social networks: in the next few days I will have time to thank each of them for the affection they have shown me ."
