Gianmarco Pozzecco
Encyclopedia
Gianmarco Pozzecco (born September 15, 1972 in Gorizia
) is a retired Italian
basketball player, an all-around offensive talent. He won, for seven years, the ranking for the top assistmen in Italian League.
Final Four
against Maccabi Tel Aviv. He played from 1999 to 2001 in the Italian All Star Game and in the 1999 McDonald’s Open Championship.
In 2001 he tried to join an NBA franchise and attended a Summer League with Toronto Raptors, but his physical weakness prevented it.
in 1997 and the following year participated in the World Championship
; however, he had some arguments with coach Bogdan Tanjevic
who left him out of the winning roster at Eurobasket 1999
.
New Italian coach Carlo Recalcati
let him return to the team, and although he lost the calling for Eurobasket 2003
, Pozzecco was part of the roster that won the silver medal at the Olympic Games
in 2004. The following year he was part of the unlucky Italian squad at Eurobasket 2005
.
He is famous for his eccentric character, and, although it has caused problems for him with coaches through the years, it made him one of the most valued players in Italy. His nicknames are “Poz”, and “La Mosca Atomica” (The Atomic Fly).
Although he was born in Gorizia and he grew up as a basketball player in Udine, he is from Trieste
.
NBA star Tim Duncan said he was impressed by the Italian player.
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
) is a retired Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
basketball player, an all-around offensive talent. He won, for seven years, the ranking for the top assistmen in Italian League.
Career
In 1999 he won the Italian League and the Italian Supercup with Varese. In 2004 he lost the EuroleagueEuroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
against Maccabi Tel Aviv. He played from 1999 to 2001 in the Italian All Star Game and in the 1999 McDonald’s Open Championship.
- 1991/92:
Amatori Udine (Serie A2) - 1993/94: Baker LivornoLibertas LivornoLibertas Livorno is an Italian professional basketball team from the town of Livorno.It was established in 1947. In 1991 it has merged with another team from Livorno, Pallacanestro Livorno . In 1994 the team has gone bankrupt and is currently playing in Serie C Dilettanti...
- 1994/95: Pallacanestro VaresePallacanestro Varese-Notable players:-Notable coaches: Aleksandar Nikolić Nico Messina Sandro Gamba Edoardo Rusconi Joe Isaac Carlo Recalcati Valerio Bianchini Ruben Magnano-Sponsorship names:Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:...
- 1995/96: Pallacanestro Varese
- 1996/97: Pallacanestro Varese
- 1997/98: Pallacanestro Varese
- 1998/99: Pallacanestro Varese
- 1999/00: Pallacanestro Varese
- 2000/01: Pallacanestro Varese
- 2001/02: Pallacanestro Varese
- 2002/03: Fortitudo BolognaFortitudo BolognaFortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna is an Legadue Basket professional basketball club that is based in Bologna. It's currently sponsored by Conad.-History:...
- 2003/04: Fortitudo Bologna
- 2004/05: Fortitudo Bologna
- 2005:
CAI ZaragozaBasket Zaragoza 2002Basket Zaragoza 2002 S. A. D., more commonly known as CAI Zaragoza by sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in Zaragoza, Aragón, who currently plays in Liga ACB. It does it at Pabellón Príncipe Felipe.- History :... - 2005/06:
Khimki MoscowKhimki BCBC Khimki is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Khimki, Moscow Oblast. The club's first team participates in the PBL, the VTB United League, and also the Euroleague.-History:... - 2006/07: Khimki Moscow
- 2007/08: UPEA Capo d'Orlando
In 2001 he tried to join an NBA franchise and attended a Summer League with Toronto Raptors, but his physical weakness prevented it.
National team career
He joined the AzzurriItaly national basketball team
The Italian national basketball team is the national basketball team representing Italy. It is administrated by the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro ....
in 1997 and the following year participated in the World Championship
1998 FIBA World Championship
The 1998 FIBA World Championship was the 13th FIBA World Championship, an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation and hosted in Athens, Greece from July 29 to August 9, 1998...
; however, he had some arguments with coach Bogdan Tanjevic
Bogdan Tanjevic
Bogdan Tanjević is an ex-Yugoslav, naturalized Italian, Bosnian, and Turkish basketball coach last managed Turkish national basketball team between 2004-10 and Fenerbahçe Ülker between 2007-10...
who left him out of the winning roster at Eurobasket 1999
EuroBasket 1999
-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Second round:- Group E :- Group F :-Championship bracket:-5th place bracket:- Quarterfinals :-Classification rounds:- Semifinals :- Third place game:- Final :...
.
New Italian coach Carlo Recalcati
Carlo Recalcati
Carlo Recalcati is an Italian basketball coach and a former player.He has been the coach of the Italy national basketball team from 2001 to 2009 and has led them to the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics and bronze medal in the Eurobasket 2003.As a player on the club level, he played for...
let him return to the team, and although he lost the calling for Eurobasket 2003
Eurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
, Pozzecco was part of the roster that won the silver medal at the Olympic Games
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena in Athens, Greece for the preliminary rounds, with the latter stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex....
in 2004. The following year he was part of the unlucky Italian squad at Eurobasket 2005
Eurobasket 2005
The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...
.
The player, the man
Pozzecco is 181 centimeters tall, and played the position of point guard. He had great technical skills, court-vision, and shooting ability. He was a player full of fantasy, but weak on defense.He is famous for his eccentric character, and, although it has caused problems for him with coaches through the years, it made him one of the most valued players in Italy. His nicknames are “Poz”, and “La Mosca Atomica” (The Atomic Fly).
Although he was born in Gorizia and he grew up as a basketball player in Udine, he is from Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
.
NBA star Tim Duncan said he was impressed by the Italian player.