Qualche giorno di pausa per il titolare del sito, che ha avuto il privilegio di partecipare a Barcellona al clinic di Aito Garcia Reneses ed Ettore Messina. Di cosa si trattasse ce lo spiega il sito di Euroleague:

The culmination of months of study and interchange for students of the Euroleague Institute Online Clinic comes this weekend in Barcelona, Spain with a four-day, in-person seminar with two of the most respected head coaches in the world, Aito Garcia Reneses and Ettore Messina. A part of the Euroleague Institute educational program, the clinic is in its second year and consists of five months’ worth of on-line classes and instruction leading up to this weekend’s hands-on seminary of three days on-court with the masters. Garcia Reneses, the head coach at Unicaja of Spain, and Messina, the new head coach of Real Madrid, tutored 24 on-line lessons each for a total number of 48 classes offered to the course’s 115 students from 26 different countries from around the world. Those students, attracted by the long list accomplishments of Garcia Reneses and Messina, include many professionals of repute looking to make another step upward in their careers. Among the attendees at the seminar this weekend are Zalgiris Kaunas head coach Gintaras Krapikas, Artland Dragons boss Thorsten Leibenath, Dynamo Moscow coach Sergei Bazarevich and famous broadcaster Flavio Tranquillo.

An on-court diploma presentation will follow as the perfect ending for the second edition of the On-line Clinic, an event that is becoming a reference point for coaches from around the world. “They get to learn, but so do we,” Garcia Reneses said. “Listening to students with so many different experiences is something we are not really used to. I am very gratified that the Euroleague doesn’t only worry about its competitions, but also about training its coaches. I am proud to offer what I can for this great initiative from the Euroleague.” As for the future of the clinic, it couldn’t be brighter as Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu announced that next season’s third edition of the clinic will not only include Messina and Garcia Reneses again, but they will be joined by none other than Zeljko Obradovic of Panathinaikos, both the reigning Euroleague champion and the most-crowned head coach in European basketball history! “This initiative is in its second year, but we will not stop now,” Bertomeu said. “We must carry on with a program that combines comfort with something as important as on-court activities. It is comfortable because it’s an on-line course that anyone can follow at home, making the most out of our technological environment, but people also come to be with Ettore and Aito. We will carry on next season with another coach that, of course, has reached our standards. Zeljko Obradovic will become a part of the clinic next season and I want to thank him for joining us.” Bertomeu also revealed that the Euroleague Institute will offer an on-line scouting course in the near future, too. “As always, utilizing the technological environment available to us, we will offer basketball fans and people working in our sport an on-line scouting course to complement the on-line clinic with Aito, Ettore and Zeljko,” Bertomeu said. “The Euroleague Institute also will continue our master’s course in sports marketing and communications together with Ca Foscari University in Venice. This is an important setting and one of the most exciting initiatives in the Euroleague, something that goes beyond the game itself, TV audiences, contracts or debates. In the masters, we have our own space to talk about how to improve the competition and talk about the game itself.”

Famous broadcaster a parte (ma quando mai …), davvero una bella esperienza. C’erano allenatori da Iran, Mozambico, Emirati Arabi, Galles ed altre nazioni cestisticamente non ancora emerse. C’erano Giorgio Valli e Federico Fucà, ma soprattutto loro Messina ed Aito. Sentirli parlare di basket, ancora, è stato un privilegio.