Ettore Messina, Italian basketball coach: sports career

In the world of big sports there is a well-established opinion that successful athletes rarely achieve major successes in the coaching field. Rare exceptions only confirm this rule. Often it is very difficult for them to give a transitional stage from an active athlete to a mentor, coach. At a certain stage it becomes less important if you know how to do it yourself. At the forefront is the ability to explain to their players, to bring their knowledge in an accessible form. A successful coach simply has to be a good psychologist. It is the mentor who is responsible for creating the microclimate within the team, he is fully responsible for the psychological state of the players entrusted to him. That is, a good coach is the optimal combination of a sports specialist and a psychologist, it can allow you to succeed in this field. These words are best suited Italian specialist, basketball coach Ettore Messina.

Childhood

Ettore Messina was born on the Apennine peninsula, in the Italian city of Catania. It happened on September 30, 1959. Like any Italian boy, the main children's hobby was football. In parallel with this sport Ettore attended basketball training in the sports school of Catania. Already in adolescence, the guy realized that to succeed in sports as an active player he will not succeed. And at a fairly young age, Ettore Messina decides to associate her life with sports as a coach.

First teams

As mentioned above, despite his young age, Messina knew how to impress people with a serious person who could be trusted by the team. Barely Ettore turned 17 years old, as the leaders of the basketball club "Venice" entrusted Messina to lead the youth team. This was a rather risky step - Ettore as a coach led the players, who in most cases were his peers. It was a kind of test for professional fitness. He needed to be able to put himself in such a way that yesterday's teammates could see in him not just a friend, but a coach.

Ettore Messina this test was successful. Having worked in Venice three full seasons, in 1979 he received an invitation to lead the youth squad of Suprego Mestre. This basketball club was quoted high enough in the Italian table of ranks, being among the leading in Italy. It was with this that BC Messina loudly declared himself, having won with him five titles of the strongest team in Italy in his age group.

Adult Teams

Success at the youth level did not go unnoticed by basketball experts. In 1982, followed by an invitation to work as the second coach in the team, "Udinese" from the city with the same name. A year later Messina invited to his basketball club "Kinder", part of the elite of Italy. Having worked in "Kinder" for several years as a second coach, in 1989, Ettore led him already as head coach.

Coaching successes

The first loud success with the club "Kinder" came to Messina in 1992. The team led by Messina won the championship of Italy, considered at that time one of the strongest in Europe. Such success on the domestic arena forced the officials of the Italian basketball federation to pay attention to Messina when choosing the coach of the national team. The Italian basketball team for Messina became native for four years. During this time in their arsenal of "silver" of the Good Will Games-94 and "silver" of the European championship in 1997. Also in the asset Messina victory with the Italian national team at the Mediterranean Games in 1993.

After the experience with the national team, the basketball coach E. Messina returns to Kinder. This event becomes triumphant - already in the first season the club wins the championship of Italy and the most prestigious European club trophy - the Euroleague. In three seasons, Messina could repeat this success.

Contract with CSKA

In 2005, the recruiting army team turned its attention to the promising Italian coach. The agreement was signed for three years. Under the Italian coach, the leadership of the army club conducted a large-scale transfer campaign, acquiring such iconic basketball players as Langdon, Smodis, Vanterpool. The main task for the season, formulated by the leadership of CSKA, is the victory in the Euroleague. The group stage of the army club was not too confident, a large number of newcomers affected. But to the games of the final four CSKA scored the optimal form and won the prestigious trophy, beating the final Israeli "Maccabi". The successful work of Ettore Messina has not gone unnoticed by specialists. At the end of the season, he received the prize as the best European coach.

The next season turned out to be less successful for the army club. CSKA stopped a step away from the victory in the Euroleague, losing in the final match to the owners of the parquet, the Greek "Panathinaikos". However, a year later the revenge took place, and the army club regained the title of the strongest club in Europe.

The season 2008-2009. Became for Messina the last of those held in CSKA. And once again easily winning all the competitions on the domestic scene, the team Ettore stopped a step away from winning the Euroleague. This time, the army club could not beat in the final match of his long-time offender, the Greek "Panathinaikos".

Continuation of coaching career

After such a successful performance with the Moscow CSKA Ettore Messina as a coach was in demand in the leading clubs in Europe. Having stopped the choice on the Spanish grandee, Madrid "Real", Messina has worked in this club two seasons. However, to achieve success, comparable to the Moscow period of his career, in the club of Madrid, Ettore could not. Then followed a trip overseas, where Messina tried his hand at the strongest basketball league in the world - the NBA. There he acted as assistant head coach at the Los Angeles Lakers club. Then came the return to the Moscow club, which this time was not so triumphal. The team led by Messina twice reached the final four and both times stumbled in the semi-final stage.

At the moment, Ettore is headed by BC "San Antonio Spers", whose main task is to successfully pass the selection for the Olympic Games in 2016.