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Amedeo Della Valle, Brescia: 'Bring your A-game every night'

Amedeo Della Valle, Brescia: 'Bring your A-game every night'

Interviews

17 January 20239 Mins read

Amedeo Della Valle, Brescia: 'Bring your A-game every night'

Germani Brescia is feeling good about itself after recording back-to-back home victories against two of the best teams in Group A of the 7DAYS EuroCup, Frutti Extra Bursaspor and Joventut Badalona. These wins have allowed Brescia to improve to 5-5 and given it a two-game advantage in the playoff race. One of the keys to the Italian team's success so far this season has been Amedeo Della Valle, who is in his second season with the team.

Della Valle was chosen as the Italian League MVP last season and is leading Brescia again, averaging team highs of 15.0 points, 4.5 assists, 5.4 fouls drawn and a PIR of 17.2. He has hit his last 40 free-throw attempts in the competition, and no other player in EuroCup history has a better percentage (88.0%) after taking that many attempts per game (4.4).

Speaking in an interview with EuroCupBasketball.com, Della Valle joked about his free-throw record, blaming us for any potential misses that he has in the near future. "The routine so far is working. Obviously, after this, I'm going to miss free throws [in the] next game, for sure! And I'm going to drop from 88% to 80%, for sure." he said. "But other than that, I'm still locked in when I go to the line and I just think about making free throws."

"We really locked in in the last few games."

Hello, Amedeo. Congratulations on beating Joventut. It was a really solid win, but what allowed you to play with such consistency?

"Thanks. I believe it was motivation. Motivation and preparation, I would say, because when you play against a team that is a top team like them, you definitely want to want to bring your A-game. You definitely want to want to prove that you can beat them. So, this was a big factor for us."

Before the last break, Brescia beat another big team, Frutti Extra Bursaspor, by 46 points. Was that a turning point in the season for your team?

"We found each other at the bottom of the standings a few games ago, right before playing against Cedevita [Olimpija Ljubljana], I believe. And we knew that we had to step up if we wanted to deserve a place in the playoffs, just because the EuroCup is a great competition. It's a part [of the season] that you don't want to miss. So, I think we really locked in in the last few games. Obviously, the addition of a player like [Aleksej] Nikolic is very important for us; he's not flashy, but he just knows how to play basketball. He knows how to help people on the court, so it's a big value for us."

How much are your enjoying such a close race for the playoffs in the EuroCup this season?

"I think it's awesome, because I think you cannot take a night off. Every court that you go to, every team that you play against, it's going to be a battle, and we know that you've got to bring your A-game to every game, because it's really competitive. And obviously, the fans like it because there is not that much separation from the top to the bottom, so it's very stable and anyone can beat anyone."

You made your last 40 free-throw attempts in the competition. Your career average is 88.0%. What does it take to be such a good free-throw shooter? Is it skills, repetition, concentration?

"Honestly, I don't really want to fool anyone or any kids reading this interview, but free throws are one of the things that I practiced the least throughout my life. It's something I really do not give so much attention to, because I believe it's a very mental thing. It's a thing based on focus, based on concentration. Obviously, you have got to have some touch. But the key for me is stepping on the line and making the same routine over and over again. And the routine so far is working. Obviously, after this, I'm going to miss free throws next game, for sure! And I'm going to drop from 88% to 80%, for sure. But other than that, I'm still locked in when I go to the line and I just think about making [my] free throws."

You spoke about your free-throw routine. How is it?

"Of course. I try to set my feet in a comfortable way. I take one deep breath looking at the basket, [I take] three dribbles and I shoot. I try not to think about anything because usually, at the free-throw line, you can think about a lot of stuff. A lot of things can go through your mind, especially in crunch time. I just try to zone out."

Brescia is your fourth EuroCup team. You took your first EuroCup team, Reggio Emilia, to the 2018 semifinals. What do you remember about that season?

"It was a great run because it was unexpected. We weren't supposed to go so far in the competition, but we really played hard. We played smart, and unfortunately we arrived against a team [Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar] that was unbeaten; a great team. We had a few injuries and there is a little bit of a bad feeling [from my side], because I honestly wasn't in the best shape to play that game and I only played one of those two [semifinal] games. When you arrive there, win or lose, you just want to be on the court. It was great, because it was special for all the city, for the fans, for everyone."

"Joventut is still the team to beat."

And you made it to the 2017-18 All-EuroCup First Team. What did it mean for you in terms of confidence, knowing that you were definitely a EuroCup star?

"Confidence should always be there for a player. But obviously, when you get a personal award, [it] is something that you have got to cherish, it's something that you have got to celebrate with the people that help you out to be there, with your teammates and coaches. And it's something that nobody can take from you, so obviously I'm very happy to have been in that team."

Your father, Carlo Della Valle, remains your biggest fan – you just have to see his social media account to find out why. How is your relationship with your father? Does he offer you basketball advice?

"We talk about basketball a lot of times. Other times, honestly, nowadays, we talk more about normal life than actual basketball. But like you said, he's really someone that I looked up to and is the first one that gave me advice based on how he felt on the court. He was a point guard. He was kind of slow, kind of not a shooter. And I'm totally opposite basically, because especially when I was young, he kept telling me, 'You're going to have way more fun if you improve.' And that's what I tried to take [from him]. He is the calm, thoughtful version and I am more, let's say, less under control."

Crazy in a good way, right?

"Yeah. I mean, we have a good balance between us. We share almost every thought we have in basketball and normal life. He is probably the most influential person in my life."

Virtus Segafredo Bologna won the 7DAYS EuroCup last season. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan made it to the 2021 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Is there are a shared responsibility for the Italian teams to help Italian basketball keep growing?

"Obviously, that's the main goal because we would like to represent Italian basketball at the top, and this can only be done thanks to the owners that put so much investment into the teams. For example, Mr. [Giorgio] Armani in Milan, Mr. [Massimo] Zanetti from Virtus, our owner, Mr. [Mauro] Ferrari, who does extreme sacrifices just to help the city have the team. After that, we have teams led by great coaches. Legends like [Ettore] Messina and [Sergio] Scariolo. We have a very young coach [Alessandro Magro, 39 years old], but he is very prepared. I hope he is going to have a bright future. So, we all kind of feel the responsibility. We take pride in what we do, so we would like to compete at the highest level."

Now that we are in the second half of the regular season, which teams do you consider to be among the favorites to win the EuroCup? And also, what do you think about how the London Lions and Paris Basketball have performed?

"I watched them play, but I don't know them like the teams [that are playing] in our group. On Paris, I'm a big fan of [Ismael] Kamagate, the young guy. And then London is an experienced team that got some players from the NBA. It's a good team, but honestly, I think Joventut is still the team to beat. I think they have experience and a star player like [Ante] Tomic. To be honest, Tomic is a cheat code in the EuroCup. There are very deep teams ready to go far. [Umana] Reyer [Venice] is another very deep team, on both ends. It's a team that, especially if they get the home court advantage, is going to be very, very tough to beat."