Former U21 Head Coach Coco!1) Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I turn 32 in 10 days. I am a college professor: I am originally from Italy, but left the country for grad school and I now live in Chicago. I did my PhD at Berkeley where I picked up my sports allegiances. I used to be rabid soccer fan and player: but I nearly quit the first habit because my team (Juventus) has been too sucky for too long and vastly curbed the second because I wrecked my knee in Fall of 2008.
2) Tell us a little bit about your team and history here at Buzzerbeater?
We started in season 3 in D.IV. By the beginning of season 7 we were in the NBBA. We made the playoffs every season since, but we were kinda hopeless at the beginning. Closing the gap on the early leaders was extremely hard: but we eventually made the finals in season 13, and won NBBA title and cup in season 14.
3) Favorite and least favorite duty as the U21 Coach?
Favorite: it's a game-in-the-game. I loved drafting up a strategy to exploit the opponent's weaknesses.
Least Favorite: dealing with unresponsive coaches.
4) What was your favorite memory as coach of the U21 squad?
Making the worlds in an OT repechage classic with Germany
(8465)And subsequently, beating a better equipped Chile that had totally misread our tactics.
(9232)5) Have any regrets you wish to reflect on?
I made a costly mistake in season 10. The season 11ers were an amazing team and incredibly unlucky in various respects: in particular, they drew a worlds schedule that seemed designed to punish the fact that they had just played in the repechage.
But playing in the repechage wouldn't have been necessary if in season 10 I had paid more attention to the fact that the groups for the second round of the Americas weren't random
6) Biggest Buzzerbeater pet peeve?
Too many... but I guess it's well-known that I hate to be CT'd in the cup by teams who have no hope of winning it and should rather focus on their league.
7) Biggest Buzzerbeater rival?
Among the teams I admire, it's the Chicago Bulls. There is also an army of teams I despise.
8) Who was your favorite player from your U21 teams and your favorite player from this seasons U21 team?
My favorite player was Joe Bronson. He was just astonishing.
Of the current crop: Munoz.
9) Finish the sentence... Without me, The U21 team would be...
It may be hard to believe this was ever an issue, but I campaigned hard for single-position training (I even wrote a post in the offsite explaining how to get 48 minutes on 3 players! good times!). People objected that we (NT) managers were just thinking of our NT's interests and not of the teams' interest. Nothing could be farther than the truth, in this case, but I'm just glad that "history" proved us right.
10) What do you think of the job your successors Jelme and Rambo have done with the team?
I think Jelme made one sketchy decision in his first term (CT-ing Italy). It was only one misstep, but costed us relevance in the competition. But he was perfect in his second term.
As for Rambo it's too early to know.
11) The main goal of the Lake Merritt Arrows in season 16 is?
Winning the cup (but there's a couple of scary teams out there, and I am in a kind of "rebuilding mode" right now).
12) Favorite quote?
"Death shall not find me with money in the bank or unused sabbatical leave"
13) Favorite NBA team?
Golden State Warriors, but since I live in Chicago's West Loop, a few blocks from the United Center, I'll also mention the Bulls.
14) Favorite TV show?
Mad Men.
15) Finish the sentence... If I could have one wish, I would wish for...
World domination.