VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Time has flown by for Italy's basketball supremo Giovanni Petrucci, who remembers very well the ecstasy of 20 years ago.

In 1995, Italy reached the EuroBasket Women Final in Brno, the Czech Republic, and qualified for the Atlanta Games.

It's a memory that the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) President treasures, one that has become even more important as the years have gone by, too, because not since that time two decades ago has an Italian women's team qualified for an Olympic Games.

"That was a fantastic team, coached by a great man like Ricardo Salas, a philosopher of basketball," Petrucci said.

His remarks were carried on Italian Basketball Federation (FIP.it) website.

Not only have the Azzurre not made it to the Olympics since, they haven't come close to returning to the Summer Games.

At the qualifying tournaments, they finished 11th at the EuroBasket Women in 1999, failed to reach the EuroBasket Women in 2003, finished ninth as hosts of the EuroBasket Women in 2007 and again did not take part in the EuroBasket Women in 2011.

It was a very different time for European basketball back in 1995.

For starters, there were only eight teams at the EuroBasket Women and not the 16 that now compete in the event.

Ukraine beat Italy in the title game in Brno, and Russia downed the Slovak Republic in the battle for third place.

Lithuania, Moldova, the Czech Republic and Croatia ended up fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

The Czech Republic is the only country on that list to have competed at last year's 16-team FIBA Women's World Championship in Turkey.

So yes, the landscape in women's basketball has changed rather drastically.

History is important, though.

There is plenty of inspiration to be drawn from the stars of the past.

Italy, looking for an edge and hoping that a little bit of Olympic magic would rub off on the current squad, brought out three of the heavy hitters from 1995 for a recent gathering with the current squad now preparing for the EuroBasket Women.

Susanna Bonfiglio, Catarina Pollini and Elena Paparazzo, a trio of Italian legends, were on hand at the Foro Italico, near the Italian Olympic Committee headquarters in Rome, to meet and greet Italy's preliminary squad.

Bonfiglio, now 40, was a tenacious, 1.77m guard when she played the game.

Pollini was a real star, a 1.96m center who played at the 1992 Barcelona Games and the Olympics four years later in Atlanta.

She had averaged 17. 8 points per game at the 1992 World Olympic Qualifying Tournament and then in Barcelona poured in 17.6 points on average.

Paparazzo, who stood 1.93m in height, was also a center who played on both Olympic teams.

Her thoughts at the Foro Italico would have fueled the current players' hunger for success at the EuroBasket Women, which tips off in Romania and Hungary on 11 June.

"The emotions you feel at Olympic Games are unique and unforgettable," she said.

"Those two experiences I will take with me for the rest of my life."

Petrucci doesn't care for rankings, or about the disappointments in recent times for the women's team.

So what if Italy are now No. 29 in the FIBA bwin World Ranking Women.

Who should fret over being the 13th ranked team out of the 16 taking part at the EuroBasket Women?

Only the Slovak Republic, Montenegro and Poland are ranked lower.

Petrucci envisions something wonderful happening.

"Today we're here remembering the past but thinking about the present," he said.

"I still remember a phrase that Bonfiglio said in the Czech Republic: 'We are Italy and we shouldn't fear anyone.'"

This EuroBasket is going to be very important because it grants you an opportunity to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio. - Masciadri

Italy's captain at this EuroBasket Women will be 34-year-old Raffaella Masciadri.

She was 14 back in 1995, when Italy last qualified for the Olympics.

"Ours is a very united group on and off the court," she said.

"We are able to prove this in every game.

Italy can either qualify directly for Rio or earn a place in the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

"For me, it will probably be the last opportunity to play at an Olympic Games and therefore, we will all try together to realize this dream," Masciadri said.

If you don't dream about it, or talk about it, or make it an aim, it's ain't gonna happen.

Who knows, maybe it will for the Italians.

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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