Will Italy (finally) be able to count on NBA player Donte DiVincenzo?
Feb. 14, 2024
Lilian Bordron
Donte DiVincenzo wants to play for Italy as soon as possible, starting with Euro 2025?
EuroBasket - Donte DiVincenzo seems closer than ever to joining the Italian national team. After meeting with Gianmarco Pozzecco, the Minnesota player expressed his desire to play with the national team.
Photo Credit : DR
The Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (1.93m, 28 years old), an American player with Italian heritage, met with Italian men’s national team coordinator Gigi Datome and head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco to discuss his potential future with the Italian national team. Simone Fontecchio (2.03m, 29 years old), who represented Italy at the Tokyo Olympics and played a major role in his team’s successful campaign to the quarter-finals with 19.3 points per game, was also present at the meeting.
« It was very pleasant to meet the coach. They all made a great impression on me, we didn’t talk about basketball and honestly, that was very nice in a way. I think it was a very productive dinner and at the same time I felt comfortable with everyone, obviously including Simone (Fontecchio), » DiVincenzo told the Gazzetta dello Sport.
It seems to be just a matter of time and administrative procedure before DiVincenzo joins Pozzecco’s team. The former New York Knick could even compete in EuroBasket 2025. « My father and my agent are handling the passport, while I’m focusing on the end of the regular season. »
After the Paolo Banchero disappointment in 2023, the former Villanova (NCAA) star would be a great addition to the team as a naturalized player. Especially since his very energetic and aggressive profile is likely to please the head coach. This season, the Timberwolves guard is averaging 11.7 points with 39.4% three-point shooting, 3.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in less than 26 minutes.
Donte DiVincenzo hasn’t hidden his desire to play for the Squadra Azzurra, a project that would make his family very happy:
« Everyone is very proud of my choice, they hope this project will come to fruition. Even my fiancée, who is of Italian descent, is pushing in this direction. I’m very happy about it, I repeat, I just have to wait to get my passport. »
Rudy Gobert and Donte DiVincenzo could meet sooner than expected, even before the NBA preseason, in a potential round of 16. For this to happen, France would need to dominate their group stage and Italy would need to find their way to qualification in their group by finishing behind Greece and Spain. It would be a rematch of the Euro 2022 quarter-final.
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