Pajola pushes Virtus: “First Venice then the title”
“But we know well that a title must be built one step at a time”. Capitan Futuro: “At the end of March we hit rock bottom, we talked to each other and regrouped well”
Bologna, 18 May 2025 – Future Captain in the editorial office. Yes, it's him, Alexander Pajola: shakes her head, moves her curls and prepares to answer a barrage of questions. Virtus, tricolor dreams, derby, leadership, National team and Pozzecco. If his best quality on the field is defense - no one recovers as many balls as him -, at the 'Carlino' he proves to be a pure striker. He is only 25 years old, Captain Future. But he speaks and thinks like a veteran. A black and white veteran with 489 appearances. Ahead of him only Binelli, Brunamonti and Villalta.
Pajola, let's start off strong.
“Let’s do it.”
Does the word scudetto scare you?
“No, on the contrary. We hope to win it. But we know well that the championship is earned by facing one match at a time. We want to start well. Also knowing that the road will be long anyway”.
How is he? He watched the last match, against Trapani, mostly from the bench.
“I am prone to a few too many sprains. That's why I always have my ankles heavily bandaged. This has reduced the effect of the sprain. I have undergone the necessary therapies. I am better.”
Meanwhile Taylor has arrived.
“I remembered him as an opponent. A tough guy. Shorter than me. Usually with the smaller ones, I suffer a lot. Luckily he plays with us. I think Brandon can give us a hand. We are in the most important and difficult moment of the season: the more we are, the better”.
At the end of March you lost first in Trieste, then in Belgrade with Red Star. Perhaps the worst moment of the season.
“Yes, we were unrecognizable.”
But what had happened?
“The Euroleague requires long trips, which take away strength and energy. We found ourselves in difficulty. When it became clear that we could no longer aspire to anything, the difficulties grew. The atmosphere became heavy”.
How did you get out of it?
“We talked, we compared. The team found balance and certainties. And we started again”.
What did Ivanovic bring you?
“A technical change always generates a spark. A reaction. It was the same for us. But, beyond the initial moment, Dusko brought a different approach and habit. When you work, you always do it 100 percent. Then, without revolutionizing anything, he brought his way of seeing basketball. But without distorting anything. Does Beli score when he comes out of the blocks? He continued to do so”.
Do you miss the derby?
“Yes, more than others. Because of Covid I missed the last ones. Every now and then we also see the boys from Fortitudo. The derby is worth a lot. I remember the first one at the Unipol Arena, in A2. Then the next one at the PalaDozza. What a climate”.
Virtus is a team that has five players over 30. But on the field, often and willingly, she is the one who draws the attention of her teammates. Almost as if she were an additional coach.
“It’s part of my role. My way of seeing basketball.”
She doesn't seem to be a great scorer. But 50 percent of Belinelli's points...
“There is understanding between us. That understanding that is created between guys who know how to play basketball. Something was created immediately when he returned to Virtus. We took advantage of it, because, without many words, we understand each other with a look. I understand where he will settle, he understands where the ball will arrive to him”.
She, if you'll excuse the exaggeration, is almost a sponge. She seems to imitate the best of her teammates. Belinelli's way of shooting, Teodosic's vision and…
“Not just these. Since I was little I have tried to imitate the plays of my stronger teammates. I try them over and over again, to see if I am capable. And I continue, without getting obsessed. But I have taken something from Markovic and, more generally, from all my teammates”.
Which player do you look up to the most?
“I would say Kyle Weems.”
But when did you start playing?
“I have an older brother. I always followed him, in Ancona. Then I would stand near the field. And I would play too. I was obsessed with football to the point that, in the end, the coach told me I could play too. I was three years old. My category didn't exist. So I ended up playing with the older ones. I was at home at PalaRossini”.
What will he do in the summer?
“I’m going to Japan.”
Which he has already seen at the Olympics.
“It was still the Covid era. I was in Japan, but I visited that country very little. I plan to make up for it.”
Speaking of the Olympics. The Italian coach, in the meantime, has become Pozzecco. A playmaker like her. Although, if you'll forgive the exaggeration, 'crazier'.
“I have a good relationship with Poz. A great coach, a great person. I am interested in the human aspect, beyond talent. And Poz, from this point of view, is truly number one.”
Have you seen him play?
“Not so much. I watched some videos even though, as a kid, maybe, I followed the NBA more. Poz’s imagination was great. I try to take inspiration from that too”.
His best games in a Virtus jersey?
“Maybe the EuroCup final, when we won the trophy. But the semifinal was even better. We triumphed in Spain, in Valencia. And when you leave a place where, maybe, they insulted you from start to finish, it's worth double. Then, I would say the fourth game of the 2021 tricolor final. The one that gave us the championship”.
Did you see Bologna and the Coppa Italia final?
“Yes, it moved me. I liked the excitement of the city, the flags, the sense of belonging. The chatter on the landing of the house. The people wearing the red and blue shirts. The words spent at the bar, the excitement of the fans. And what a boy said to me: 'Roma? No, I'll watch the game with my father'. There, I saw myself again”.
Are you a Bologna fan too?
“No, but I thought of my father, a great supporter of Ancona. A team that now plays in Serie C. But if one day he were to experience a fairy tale like that of Bologna, well, I would like to see a final like that alongside my father”.