VICENZA, Italy- healthy mix of competitiveness and good sportsmanship were on display at the Caserma Ederle Fitness Center Jan. 26 when the Vicenza Middle School Yellow Jackets took on the visiting Mestrino Raptors in a friendly Italian-American basketball game.
The Yellow Jackets won 53-46, but everyone went home feeling like a winner.
"Because my son Eric plays with that team (the Raptors) and goes to the Vicenza Middle School on Villaggio, he is uniquely connected with both teams as classmates of one and a team member of the other, and yet friends with both," said Andre Luster, who is the supervisory lead for CYSS Vicenza.
Luster came up with the idea of a friendly match and undertook the necessary coordination to obtain the required approval and logistical support to set up the meet.
"I approached the coaches of both teams and consequently they agreed upon a date and time," he said.
Italian, American squads make friends on the court
Both the Raptors and the Yellow Jackets attract boys ages 13-15 to play competitive basketball. The game on Caserma Ederle was the first ever meeting of the two teams.
"The game was a learning experience not only for me, but the whole team," said Vicenza Yellow Jacket Jacques Resseguie.
"The Italians played hard and the game was very challenging. This game showed us that we are a good team, but like every other team, we need improvement," he said.
Competition was stiff and the 53-46 finish belies the fact that action on the court was close until the last seconds.
"It was a hard game, but we still came out on top," said Yellow Jacket Cameron Wilkerson. "The Italians played very hard and they had a lot of stamina. I was exhausted because they pressed the entire game. However, this was not my first time playing against an Italian team, so I knew that this would be a challenging game. I had fun, though; hopefully, we will play them again in the future."
Yellow Jacket head coach Carl Wilkerson enjoyed seeing how the American players matched up against their Italian rivals.
"I think it was a great experience for both teams. I was very proud of my team, they played very hard. We are looking forward to playing the Mestrino team again," he said.
The idea of a return match was also on the minds of the Italian players and their coach, Maurizio Benetollo, who said his team was excited by the experience and were already asking him right after the match when they could play against the American team again.
"The game was a friendly game and a good opportunity to play in a different arena," said Benetollo.
"There were three adults referees and it was professionally officiated. We could sense the good athletic preparation and coordination of the American team and how they are trained in different sport disciplines," he said.
"I really liked their technical skills," said Raptor Alessandro Rago. "Now, I am looking forward to meeting them again."
"They were really physical. Some rebounds reminded me of techniques used in the NBA. We were using mostly our teamwork," said Raptor Manuel Masiero.
"I gained so much experience from this game," said 13-year-old Bryce Franklin, who is playing basketball in Europe for the first time this season. "It was both fun and hard playing against this team. If we do face them again, our team will be more prepared."
As a learning experience players on both squads are going to make good use of the experience.
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