This afternoon, at the Induno Olona facility of our partner, Birrificio Angelo Poretti, a press conference was held to introduce Amedeo Della Valle.
Here are his remarks:
“It’s strange to see myself in Varese’s colors, but I’m very happy to wear them. The level is definitely rising, and I can’t wait to do my part to help the team achieve our goals together. Ever since I arrived, I’ve been lucky because I’ve received an amazing welcome: Varese has welcomed me with open arms, and even the people I meet on the street show me great enthusiasm—they cheer me on and want to know how things are going. It’s an environment I was already familiar with because of its great passion: this has always been a very lively arena, where it’s tough to play as an opponent, and experiencing it now from the other side has really made an impression on me. The fans are passionate, and you can clearly feel how much the people care about the team. As for my role, I want to be a leader on this team, and having reached this point in my career, I wanted to take on this responsibility. Obviously, we all want to win, but we have to take it one step at a time. Results come when everything falls into place and when every member of the team is able to make their own contribution. On the court, we try to help each other: the more you play together, the higher the level becomes, and the more you learn to adapt to your teammates and their strengths. I think I can easily play alongside them, and I believe that by working together, we can pose a serious challenge to our opponents. What happened over the summer was definitely an emotional shock and completely changed my life. At that time, one of my priorities was to stay close to home and my family, and my relationship with Luis Scola was also a key factor in choosing Varese. We were teammates and stayed in touch in the years that followed: I placed my trust in him, and he did the same with me. Luis has always written to me, and the relationship we’ve built goes beyond the court. When we played together in Milan, I even had a mural painted on my mother’s terrace. I’ve learned so much from him, especially when it comes to staying positive: he insisted on always keeping a good atmosphere in the locker room, and that’s a lesson that’s stuck with me. Playing in both the BCL and the LBA? Right now, I just want to play. I love doing it, and playing a lot of games has never been a burden to me. In Brescia, when we competed in the cup tournaments as well, we managed to win the Coppa Italia, so I’m very happy to be able to play in the Basketball Champions League with Varese too. It’s a competition that genuinely excites me, and at 33, I still feel very young. Clearly, the key will be staying in good physical shape to perform at my best on the court. The national team? Right now, I’m completely focused on Varese, and I don’t want to think about next summer just yet. There was also the idea of going to Los Angeles to play 3×3, but after my hand injury, it’s not easy to imagine being ready to play at that level. Besides, right now I’m too involved in 5-on-5 and wouldn’t be able to give 3×3 the attention it deserves. Varese is a beautiful city, and many people had spoken highly of it to me. Personally, I don’t need much to be happy. If it were just a matter of desire, I could keep playing until I’m 50, but right now it’s hard to say what will happen. After what happened to me, I’ve learned that thinking too far ahead doesn’t help: I prefer to focus on what’s right in front of me, live in the present, and think about today.”