Mordente plays it for us: "It will be a fun game"

Marco Mordente was a great interpreter of the role of full-back Italian basketball, especially in the first decade of 2000. And he did it starting from Reggio and exploding to Treviso, when it was branded Benetton and achieved series of triumphs. Today the 46-year-old former captain of the National team is a "business team coach and inspirational speaker" (basically the motivator) for companies and athletes.

Biting, how much the years have counted for her Reggio Emilia basketball? "A lot. Reggio was doubly fundamental for me. I arrived here when Chiarino Cimurri was there, bitterly losing the final for promotion to A1 and I returned, after a very difficult period in Siena, to conquer it with Landi and Frates, as an important athlete of the team. It is thanks to Pallacanestro Reggiana that I returned to the basketball that counts".

Then came the call from Treviso. "If Reggio was the springboard, with Benetton came the consecration, the first championship and the possibility of being trained by coaches like David Blatt and playing with teammates like Bargnani or Goree. In Veneto I understood what it meant to compete at the highest level, even in the Euroleague".

Almost twenty years have passed and Reggio and Treviso continue to challenge each other in Serie A. "Times have changed and roles have been reversed. When I played, Pallacanestro Reggiana's goal was above all to save itself, while Benetton was trying to win the Euroleague. Today Treviso is finding its stability again, with the help of the great passion of the fans that has never run out, while Reggio, thanks to its European imprint and the high managerial approach that Coldebella is giving it, has greater ambitions".

Are there any players in the two teams who resemble those of his time? "Frankly, no. However, looking at Unahotels, I want to say a word for Michele Vitali, for his character, for the way he plays. And I'll meet him at the Palaverde, I'll wait for him on the pitch".

How do you see the challenge of Omani? "I expect a fun match. The one who manages to maintain the strongest concentration will win. Not thinking about the imminent Final Eight, Reggio, or during the championship break, Treviso".

Speaking of the Italian Cup. You were a red and white when the then Bipop, in 2005, reached the final, a unique event for the club… "It was an incredible weekend. We reached the finals as newly promoted; Frates told us: they invited us to the dance, so let's show how we know how to dance. Against Milan, in the quarterfinals, we had a clear game plan, we took them where we wanted and we managed to impose ourselves. Against Rome, in the semi-finals, it was the enthusiasm and drive of our fans, I remember when I turned around and saw only red and white in the stands, that took us over the obstacle. In the final, however, from the first minutes, we understood that Benetton Messina was really too strong. But everyone in Reggio was proud of those days".

The Final-Eight is the tournament of surprises. Could Unahotels be the one this time? "You know what my partner used to say when I was playing? That I didn't understand anything about basketball because I never got a prediction right. And that's where I'll stop."