Fainke, from Mali to the conquest of Reggio: "I couldn't miss this opportunity"

Until now, as often happens to young shoots, he had remained in the shadow of the Unahotels group. Playing a couple of scraps of games in the so-called "garbage time", that is when the two teams, with the result in hand, are just waiting for the final siren. On Sunday in Treviso instead Elhadji Fainke, a young man originally from Mali, but Italian by basketball background, bought by Pallacanestro Reggiana last summer, entered the court in the middle of the match, with the long sector in emergency due to Faried out for the blow to the face and Faye burdened by fouls. And the center performed admirably: also scoring his first basket in Serie A.

Fainke, tell us about the emotions you felt at the PalaVerde.

"When the coach told me to come in I thought: you have to take advantage of this opportunity, it won't happen twice, and I tried to do my best. The rest was a whirlwind of emotions where I only thought about staying focused and doing the right things for the team."

When we saw her in the gear shift chair, we can't deny that we were a little surprised by Priftis' choice.

"Given the situation, with Faried out injured and Momo full of fouls, during the break Fucà told me to be ready because I might be needed. Of course I felt a strong emotion, but I tried to stay focused in case I really had to come on".

He did. And he did well.

"In these six months in Reggio I still hadn't had the opportunity to take the field with the game still in the balance, but I always remained focused and trained hard. Above all, I perceived a lot of trust from the staff and my teammates, who encouraged me to improve, correct me when I make mistakes and always give me a good example".

And now she'll have to pay the usual price when she scores her first basket in Serie A. Pasta or pizza?

"In Pallacanestro Reggiana there is a tradition of pizzas, so I will bring them soon."

But you didn't come here as a complete novice. When did you start playing basketball?

"Quite late, around 14 years old. At first I played soccer, then I started to get taller and taller, so my parents and my aunt encouraged me to try basketball. I already liked watching basketball, so I decided to start playing it. Once I left Mali, my first real basketball experiences were in Serbia (it was in fact a talent scout from that country who noticed it, ed.) where I trained for a few months. Then I landed at Fulgor Fidenza where I stayed for three years before doing my fourth year at Vuelle Pesaro; there I completed the Italian training process by playing in the Under 19s and helping the first team in training".

In the Treviso locker room, teammates celebrated on Sunday by chanting "Pogba! Pogba!", in homage to the famous footballer, who played for Juventus for a long time. Is that his nickname?

"In fact, yes, because of the resemblance, which when I arrived in Fidenza was even more marked than it is now. From there everyone started calling me Pogba; so now, when I introduce myself to people, I say directly: 'nice to meet you, Pogba'".

Are you alone here in Reggio?

"Yes, my whole family still lives in Mali, especially my parents and my sister, who is almost 14. I haven't been home for two years, luckily my mother comes to Europe every now and then and manages to visit me. The last time was a couple of months ago."

What are your goals for this season?

"Improve, especially from an individual point of view. Every day I work with all the staff to correct my defects and progress in my knowledge of the game. I must say that they transmit to me on a daily basis the trust they feel in me, I receive the right teachings from everyone. And I will continue to put them into practice in the coming months".