VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - You know what I liked about Italy's national team this summer? I liked Paul Biligha's tenacity, his hard work.

The 27-year-old Perugia-born center competed at his first FIBA EuroBasket and did so under Italy's renowned coach, Ettore Messina. I also liked seeing the Cordoba, Argentina-born Ariel Filloy get a chance for the first time.

Filloy had played for Umana Reyer Venezia and helped them get to the Basketball Champions League Final Four. He then excelled in the Italian post-season, helping Umana Reyer capture the title.

You know what I liked about Italy's national team program in 2015? I liked Diego Flaccadori, the shooting guard that had some highlight-reel plays at that summer's FIBA U19 World Championship in Crete, Greece. I remember thinking at the time how Flaccadori was going to be one of the next big things in Italian basketball. He averaged 17.6 points per game for that side.

Flaccadori was a standout for Italy's youth teams

Flaccadori has indeed turned out to be very good. Last year, the 1.93m Seriate-born talent helped Dolomiti Energia Trentino reach the Italian play-off finals. He showed the same flair, the same panache, the same grit that made him so valuable to Italy's U19 side.

New senior team coach Romeo 'Meo' Sacchetti has named Flaccadori in his preliminary squad for next month's FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers against Romania and Croatia.

These players sort of remind me of those in the Carlo Recalcati-coached teams that finished a surprising third at FIBA EuroBasket 2003 and then stunned international basketball with a silver medal finish at the 2004 Olympics.

There were no NBA stars in that 2004 Olympic side. There were less heralded players, Giacomo Galanda, Gianluca Basile, Matteo Soragna and Denis Marconato. There were Gianmarco Pozzecco, Alex Righetti, Massimo Bulleri and Roberto Chiacig. There were Luca Garri, Michele Mian, Rodolfo Rombaldoni and Nikola Radulovic.

Galanda celebrated Italy's qualification for the 2004 Olympics

This was a beloved Italy team. It played hard, played together and played smart.

That Italy even beat Argentina's greatest ever team, one with Manu Ginobili, Hugo Sconochini, Alejandro Montecchia, Pepe Sanchez, Fabricio Oberto, Luis Scola, Walter Herrmann, Carlos Delfino, Andres Nocioni and others, at that Olympic Games.

The Bilighas, the Filloys and the Flaccadoris, they're not NBA players yet they're hungry and passionate. They want to wear the Italy shirt. It's probably the greatest honor they can have as sportsmen.

Marco Belinelli and Danilo Gallinari? They're with their NBA clubs and will be able to play for the Azzurri come the third and fourth World Cup Qualifying windows. If they play, they'll be able to avenge a heartbreaking defeat to Croatia in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Turin because the Croatians will be their opponents on June 28.

Italy will then wrap up their First Round Group D campaign on July 1 at the Netherlands. Cue Round 2 between Gallinari and Dutchman Jito Kok, the player he punched in the face in a EuroBasket warm-up game. Gallinari hurt his thumb in the process and missed the entire EuroBasket.

The doors of the national team are open to everyone. There will be opportunities for those that deserve it to join the national team.

Italy coach Meo Sacchetti

Before the new competition system, which sees World Cup Qualifiers being played in six windows, starting next month, fans, unless their country hosted a major event like a EuroBasket, an OQT, an Olympics or a World Cup, never got to see their home team play important games. Now they will in the World Cup Qualifiers.

In the first couple of windows, the NBA players won't be available. Some fans see the glass as half empty, that their national team won't be as fun to watch without the 31-year-old Belinelli or the 29-year-old Gallinari. I beg to differ. Those are great players, albeit ones that have never managed to lead Italy to the podium.

I liked what new Italy coach Romeo 'Meo' Sacchetti, a silver-medal winner himself as a player at the 1980 Olympics, had to say when announcing the squad for next month's World Cup Qualifiers.

"I have worn the Italy jersey and I know value it has," he said. "I'm convinced that every player has to dream of reaching the national team.

Filloy (No. 5) had a terrific first FIBA EuroBasket with Italy in 2017

"The doors of the national team are open to everyone. There will be opportunities for those that deserve it to join the national team."

Italy were fun to watch this summer, even without Gallinari, even when Beninelli and Gigi Datome weren't on the court.

My advice for the odd doom-and-gloom Italy fan is to appreciate the fact that new talents will emerge. You'll get to see them play just as their national team careers are taking off. Less heralded players may just surprise you, just as those did in 2003 and 2004.

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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