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17 - 25
August 2018
9 Giulia Natali (ITA)
20/08/2018
News
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Giulia Natali’s fantastic attitude points to a bright future

KAUNAS (FIBA U16 Women's European Championship 2018) - “If I asked her to defend a wall, she would do it,” enthuses Italy’s head coach Giovanni Lucchesi. “It’s a silly example, but she is so great to work with.” Having trained with the national team before her 16th birthday, it’s clear that Giulia Natali is a name to watch.

She is one of a quartet of players returning from the 2017 team that made the podium, tasting success in Bourges with a bronze medal alongside Caterina Gilli, Martina Spinelli and Ilaria Panzera. The foursome also played in Minsk at the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup earlier this summer, with Natali leading the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game as the team claimed a creditable fifth-place finish.

"Quando il perché è forte, il come si trova sempre" #focus

A post shared by Giulia Natali😌 (@giulianatali__) on

"We are very busy all through the summer, and it is really challenging for us, but on the other side it's great," says the 1.76m guard, who made her LegA Basket Serie A1 debut for Meccanica Nova Vigarano last season at the age of 15. "Of course, for us we are proud to be wearing our Italian shirt and it is really satisfying for us to play like this."

Lucchesi credits the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup experience with helping to elevate the level of his young stars: "Especially Gilli, she plays like a senior, even if with her size, she must learn to play like a small forward and work on her shot. You saw in the match against Croatia, she scored a three-pointer - it was the first time I saw this!"

His team have started on fire here in Kaunas, racking up three wins in the Group Phase with an average margin of victory of 37 points per game. "I ask the team always, quick pass, quick pass, because we are small, so we need to move the ball quickly, like a game of pinball."

Natali is an influential member in that regard, and Lucchesi believes that the experience will stand her in good stead as she progresses to a higher level: "Maybe her future is as a playmaker more than guard, because at senior international level, she would be a small guard. So she must work on this. But the first step is the comprehension, and a greater capacity to read the offense and the defense."

It's not fanciful to imagine her future at senior level already, with Natali being invited to a training camp with the senior team earlier this summer, even before she had celebrated her 16th birthday.

Her father Paolo played at a high level domestically, and Natali cites him as her inspiration for falling in love with the sport: “I was five years old when I started playing. It was a passion that he gave me from the beginning of my life.”

Lucchesi is effusive in his praise for how easy Natali is to work with, citing her great attitude to learning: “If I asked her to defend a wall, she would do it! But I want her to understand that maybe it’s not the wall that is important, but the ball moving around it. It’s a silly example, but you understand - she has talent, especially her strong mentality. This mentality must be the first of many skills though, because if it's her only skill, it's not sufficient for her future. For now, it's good, but I think when we talk about such players, it's important that they take the capacity to see the future and to have a vision of the game, not only the immediate situation but actually, two steps ahead."


Coach Lucchesi is one of her biggest advocates

For Natali's part, she still believes that she has higher levels to reach on the mental side of the game too: "I can get a little upset and anxious before going on the court, and I really want to improve this sort of thing, because it is really important to play in the best way."

Natali hasn't needed to be at her best while surrounded by a strong squad during the Group Phase, averaging six points per game on 35% shooting while giving up two turnovers per game. But with her experience and great attitude, it would be no surprise to see her turn it on as the tournament heats up.

FIBA