Gianmarco Pozzecco before facing Luka Doncic: “You can’t stop him”
By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – After finishing 4-1 in Group C, Italy will now play Slovenia in the EuroBasket 2025 Round of 16. On the game’s eve, Gianmarco Pozzecco spoke about the challenge after Italy’s practice in Riga.
“I’m from Trieste, I have so much respect for Slovenian basketball. I played against Luka Doncic’s father, and I met him yesterday. I touched him. He’s so strong, man,” he opened. “We haven’t beaten Slovenia since 2006. That’s the truth,” he added.
“Even if you have 2 million people in Slovenia, you have a basketball culture. It’s amazing. One of the best players that I have played with is Matjaž Smodiš, by far. I respect you a lot,” he referred to the Slovenian media.
“If we are talking about Slovenia, we have to talk about Luka Doncic. I respect [Aleksej] Nikolic, [Edo] Muric, and all of the guys who play with him. [Alen] Omic is a friend of mine, so of course I respect them. But Luka is like something different,” he also said.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are probably the most iconic team ever, and now the main player there is Luka Doncic. That’s something huge. We respect Slovenia a lot, and it will be tough. It’s a basketball game, so we have to enjoy and try to do our best. Of course, we are not afraid, but we respect you a lot,” he added.
Gianmarco Pozzecco continued about the Slovenian phenomenon. “You can’t stop him, [Giannis] Antetokounmpo, [Nikola] Jokic. Those guys are the best players in the world, so you cannot stop them. You have to play defense against them and try to make them tired,” he said.
“He’s the leader in every statistic. He’s Luka Doncic, I’m not surprised. He’s in shape as always, but probably a little bit more, and is one of the best players in the world,” Pozzecco added.
Finally, he spoke about his team’s defensive identity. “I have Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Costacurta, and Tassotti defensively, because Melli is the best defensive player in Europe by far. It’s normal that we play tough defense, and that’s what we are doing,” he concluded.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA