A heartfelt thanks from Moretti after he's shown the door

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Coach Paolo Moretti didn't go out the way he wanted to at Pallacanestro Varese but in his profession, it often happens that way. When results are bad, coaches are shown the door.

A former player in Italy's national team and the country's top flight, Moretti, 46, made a name for himself as a tactician at Pistoia Basket. He held the reins at that club from 2009-2015 and steered it to its first promotion to Italy's top flight.

In Pistoia's first year (2013-14) in Serie A, Moretti steered the Tuscan outfit to an eighth-place finish and a spot in the play-offs. EA7 Armani Jeans Milano beat Pistoia in the Quarter-Finals, but Moretti was named the Italian League's Coach of the Year. He remained one more season with Pistoia finishing ninth and just missing the play-offs.

After that memorable run with Pistoia, Moretti left for Varese. There were ups and downs in his new job. He was certainly trending up when Varese, a team that had won several European trophies in its history, made it to a Final on the old continent for the first time since the 1979-80 campaign, the season they won the FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup.

When Varese showed up at the FIBA Europe Cup Final Four in Chalon, France, at the end of April earlier this year, Moretti's men beat hosts Elan Chalon to reach the European title game.

That great adventure ended, though, with a 66-62 defeat to Fraport Skyliners in the title game. Still, Moretti and Varese had taken their devoted fans on a fun ride. They had almost revisited past glories. Just making it as far as they did was cause for celebration.

Varese did not, however, reach the playoffs in Italy after finishing ninth in the regular season. This season, the club didn't have Chris Wright, Maalik Waynes or Brandon Davies, pivotal figures in the team that reached the Europe Cup title game. They nevertheless set out to play in Europe again in the new Basketball Champions League.

Varese scraped a 145-144 aggregate victory in their second qualification round tie against SL Benfica and things got better when Moretti's team edged ASVEL in their first Regular Season game, an 83-82 thriller of a victory. Kristjan Kangur hit a game-winning 3-pointer with just 2 seconds on the clock.

But since that great moment, it's been downhill for Varese with just one win and eight defeats in the competition.

That form, and just four triumphs in 12 games in the Italian league that has the team just two places off the bottom of the table, led to the club's decision to make a change this week.

Varese general manager Claudio Coldebella, Moretti's teammate in the Italy side that finished runners-up to Yugoslavia at the EuroBasket 19 years ago in Barcelona, announced: "I'm extremely saddened to bid farewell to Paolo, a coach and a person that I'm very fond of and who has done so much for Varese. It's been a difficult decision but it's been taken for the good of the team with the hope that this change can turn around the season's fortunes."

The club has brought Attilio Caja back to the team as Moretti's replacement. Caja coached the team in 2015.

Moretti has taken it on the chin this time but he'll be back. He's the sort of coach you want to pull for. His character shone through in his message to Varese's fans after getting the chop.

"Basketball has given me so much," he said. "I grew up playing. I've made it my job first on the court and then on the sidelines. I believe it's a special game which I totally adore. Hence, I can only accept the rules, even when they're not favorable....

"...the memories of the last 18 months that I take with me have been a fantastic journey that have taken us to the Final Four in Chalon, a Final that Varese had been missing and that Italian basketball had been absent from for a long time.

"And the pride to have been sitting on one of the most prestigious benches in Italy where other coaches that had written history of Italian and European basketball had sat before me.

"A few months ago, when I was asked what my dream was coming into this special club, I replied while looking at the photos of the great champions hanging on the walls of the club that I would have just been happy if my photo was up there."

Fear not, Paolo. Things didn't go well this season, but you've done enough to be remembered. Good luck when your next opportunity comes around.

 

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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