We had the opportunity to interview one of the best Italian coaches of recent years, namely Alessandro Magro. After leaving Brescia, Magro is now the head coach of BC Wolves in Lithuania. Together with our Paolo Spelorzi and Stefano Galullo, we retraced all the most important passages of his career. One of these is certainly the period he is currently experiencing as the head coach of BC Wolves.

Read the full interview.

“I am finding myself very well. Obviously, it is not easy to get to a nation where the mentality is very different from ours, especially if you are a basketball coach. Here there are many journalists who follow, many podcasts that speak of basketball with very competent people, so it is really very similar to what happens to football coaches in Italy. This is the national sport, everyone speaks of basketball, everyone follows basketball, everyone knows basketball. This is very stimulating because in the end you cannot tell it much, you must always be a lot on the piece.”

The basketball school of Lithuanian players is of a high level, because almost all the players who then play in Serie A, both in my team and in the other teams, have made school Basket Rytas or the Zalgiris Academy. So they listened to basketball coaches, for example Jasikevicius who in Zalgiris has really left a mark on how to manage cascade things. Many follow what they have directly or indirectly listened to and absorbed, which are notions of the highest level. The same goes for Rytas.

Lithuanian basketball players are very prepared from a technical and tactical point of view. The championship does not have many teams, because it cannot be forgotten that Lithuania is a small nation of 3 and a half million inhabitants. So the realities that are there are few. But in the championship there are very interesting players, it is very competitive. There is no possibility, such as in Italy, to say: I can play that game focusing less because surely with the roster that I have to win. We, the Zalgiris, the Rytas and the Lietkabelis (the four teams considered better than the others) must really play the games to try to win them. We are doing quite well at this moment.”

Alessandro Magro’s experience in Lithuania highlights the high level of basketball talent and the competitive nature of the Lithuanian championship. The players’ technical and tactical preparation is top-notch, thanks to the influence of legendary coaches and academies like Zalgiris and Basket Rytas.

Magro’s journey with BC Wolves showcases the unique challenges and rewards of coaching in a foreign league. His insights into the Lithuanian basketball culture and the high level of competition make this a must-read for any basketball enthusiast.