Beyond the buzzer: hard work, higher goals
I was born in Ravenna, Italy, on November 19, 2008 – and I’ve basically been around basketball ever since.
For me, it’s more than just a sport; it’s what keeps me motivated, what pushes me every day. In other words, it’s just part of who I am.
MEMORIES
FIRst steps, first hoops
BASKET RAVENNA AND COMPAGNIA DELL'ALBERO
EARLY EXPERIENCES
I started playing basketball when I was six, in the youth program of my hometown team, Basket Ravenna – whose senior team was playing in Italy’s second national division. A couple of years later, I joined another local club, Compagnia dell’Albero, famous for its strong youth program and teams across every age group competing in top regional leagues and led by former pro athlete from Olimpia Milano and later assistant coach of the U18 and U19 italian national teams, Fabrizio Ambrassa.
In my very first season there, under a coach who really knew how to fire us up, our newly assembled team somehow managed to beat historical rival clubs that had always been out of reach. That’s when I first learned what it really means to give your all — and that basketball is a team sport where you only win if everyone pulls together (which, at that age, wasn’t exactly an easy concept to grasp!).
I still remember our coach’s legendary battle cry echoing in the gym, pushing us to go all in, every time:
“Who runs??? Who runs???”
For a detalied overview of Teams and championships see the section:
CLUB ATLETICO MONTEMAR, CB ILICITANO AND CBI ELCHE
ESPAÑA here we come!
In 2021, when I was 12, my family and I moved to Spain – to sunny Alicante, in the Comunidad Valenciana.
Everyone knows Spain is full of insanely talented teams, and that youth sports here – not just basketball – are taken very seriously. The results speak for themselves: national U16 and U18 squads are always on the podium (if not on top of it) in major international tournaments.
I learned that the hard way. In my very first game in Spain, with Club Atletico Montemar, we faced one of the toughest teams in the region – Godella – and got crushed 40–0. (In Spanish youth leagues, when the score gap hits 40 points, the scoreboard freezes… which, honestly, was a relief that day!)
I was the new kid, the Italian playing abroad, and I’ll never forget scoring our first basket… right after the score had already been frozen. That night I went home knowing one thing: time to roll up my sleeves. There would be tough moments, sure – but also great ones ahead.
Since then, I’ve never been afraid to challenge stronger opponents. Losing can sting, but there’s pride in fighting to the end.
And maybe I did learn something that day – because not long after, I earned a spot on the U14 regional team (which is like State level for the US) for the 2023 interregional summer tournament, joined the prep phase for the national championship between regions, and played in the Spanish National Club Championship in the 2024–2025 season with CBI Elche.
