At the headquarters of Pelliconi S.p.A., a partner of Virtus Segafredo Bologna, Rayjon Tucker was presented to the press. Below are the words of the protagonists:
Marco Checchi, Pelliconi CEO – We are happy to host Virtus, it is the team of the heart of this company, although of course we also have those who cheer on the other side, but we are very democratic. It never happened to have a player here, and a player like Tucker. He is a player who has always surprised me with his dynamism, running and desire to win. Virtus has very challenging goals, and players like him are well suited to pursue those goals. With Virtus we have had a relationship for many years, which is growing more and more, and this makes us so happy. With Virtus there is friendship and unity of purpose, which goes beyond the economic aspect. With all our partners it is like that, we look for someone who has principles that are also ours. In Virtus and in Luca we have found them.
Luca Baraldi, CEO Virtus Segafredo Bologna – Pelliconi family has always followed Virtus, and in recent years has been one of the strategic partners, both for economic value and advice, I often talk to Marco, I have so much to learn from someone like him.
We present an important player, one of the MVPs of last championship, we believe he can become a flag for Virtus. His greatest quality is energy, it was seen in Crete against Milano. I think he will be a player we will fall in love with very quickly, even as fans.
Paolo Ronci, General Manager of the Vu Nere – I as soon as I arrived in Virtus I met the Checchi family, I remember them as a family very close to Virtus, I perceive you not only as partners but also as friends. Today we introduce Tucker, his main characteristic is energy. He is ’97, a rookie at this level, but he really conveys the great motivation to try. He has the desire to be a protagonist, but in the right way, putting everything he has at the service of the team. His speed to adapt to the higher level will be very important. Patience will be needed, but he can create an atmosphere of great mutual energy with the public. He has already shown in the league that he fits in great, with an excellent season in Venice and first in Australia. We expect him to confirm and improve, also learning from the veterans. The premise is very good. And I repeat, he has a great desire to try to the best of his ability.
The preseason? We tried to make it competitive, in Crete we played with Euroleague teams. We didn’t want to make comfortable choices. What we are interested in now is putting together the concepts the coach wanted. We had a few injuries, from next weekend we start in earnest, and the games that matter start. The coach said he would like to be a little further ahead, but I think these are typical problems in this part of the season, common to many teams. We have to try to maintain a good level of team form for so many months to avoid negative streaks. We will build on the experience of past years, with great attention to the individual program of the players. From Saturday we start in earnest, and see where we stand.
Rayjon Tucker: I am very happy to be here, in a Euroleague club with great ambitions. I want to help Virtus win, doing whatever is required of me. I am grateful for the opportunity, I will try to take the team to a new level. I look forward to having fun on the court, and also with the fans.
The transition from Eurocup to Euroleague. You always have to make progress in your career. Like last year, I will try to help the team win. I want to show my talents and make progress, trying to be the best teammate I can be.
Differences? It will be a great experience, there is more talent and many players, with great basketball IQ. I want to learn from the best on this team, being a rookie in the Euroleague is a great experience, from the Eurocup season I learned a lot, I’m ready to test myself.
What impressed me about Virtus last year? How everyone competes at a high level. And being here is really exciting, training with very talented players who have achieved so much in their careers. From the outside you can form an opinion, but it’s by training with such talented players that you realize what an honor it is to be on this team.
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