From parquet to life choices.
Meo Sacchetti, former national team coach and former coach of Dinamo Sassari, the 2015 Italian champions, was the special guest at the PalaSant'Elena in Quartu for the final event of "Simultaneous Care 2026," an educational project organized under the scientific direction of Dr. Giorgio Astara. The two-day event, dedicated specifically to oncology and simultaneous care, concluded on the Ferrini pitch with the discussion "Everyone on the pitch: what does Meo Sacchetti recommend for your team?"
In front of the athletes of the Biancoverde youth sector, Sacchetti shifted the discussion from medicine to basketball, recounting some of the highlights of his long career and focusing especially on the importance of decisions: those made quickly during a game and the often more complex ones that accompany life off the court.
What caught the attention of the youngsters was an episode from his early years as a player. Sacchetti recalled a trial with Olimpia Milano in front of Sandro Gamba. The coach's response was not encouraging: he considered him a good Serie B player, but not someone capable of being useful to his team.
History, however, would have a very different outcome for both of them. A few years later, Sacchetti reunited with Gamba on the Italian national team bench, and together they reached the 1980 Moscow Olympic final, winning the silver medal. This anecdote became the most effective way to convey one of the meeting's key messages to the boys: a judgment or a setback doesn't necessarily define the next path.
