Luca Banchi, the head coach of Virtus, summed up his team’s season in the EuroLeague and discussed the next steps for the Italian giant.
There is a sense of regret within the black and white ranks of Bologna. The second part of the season did not resemble the first, where they were dominant, especially at home. They did not reach the playoffs, although they had a chance to do so against Baskonia in the last play-in match. However, the head coach views this project positively.
“If memory serves me right, I don’t recall a project rising to the top of continental and national basketball so quickly and with so little time. Just look at our program, which started just six years ago. This is only our second season in the EuroLeague, and we regret not being among the top eight after 34 regular-season games,” Luca Banchi said at the beginning.
Luca Banchi also addressed the fact that Virtus does not have an A license, with remaining in the EuroLeague being their number one priority.
“To this day, Virtus is considered one of the top teams in Europe, just two years after returning to the EuroLeague. We experienced this firsthand in the way our opponents treated us in every game. I think this is a fact that should be a driving force for a club that makes huge sacrifices to keep the team at these levels, considering the size of the budget and the structure that teams have.
Remaining in the elite will be crucial, and I hope Virtus can achieve that thanks to the results on the court, as well as the evident success measured by the number of fans, the organization of the club, and Financial Fair Play. The club has also proven to be very professional in that regard, these are all details that seem to project this club towards the top of continental basketball.”