Filippo Sacripanti, from Cantù to Phoenix following in my uncle’s footsteps

He started playing, but he quickly realized that it was not his role. Filippo Sacripanti then decided to follow the example of his uncle Pino, who spent nearly twenty years of his coaching career at Cantù before traveling all over Italy, also coaching the Under-20 National Team that won the European title in 2013. Inspired by an interview with Riccardo Fois, Filippo left his small town in Brianza and flew to Arizona because, after all, the world is small, and in Phoenix, he found a player who began his long Italian career in Cantù.

Now Filippo Sacripanti is the head student manager at a college like GCU, which is far from a typical mid-major. Here is the story of his American experience.

You started playing basketball in the Cantù youth teams; when did you decide to follow in your uncle’s footsteps?

I played in Cantù’s youth project and quit during the covid year, then I had the opportunity to work with Marco Sodini and his staff, and it was a fantastic year for me because Sodini is a great coach and helped me a lot to switch my mindset from player to coach. I thank him because I really enjoyed working with a great staff including Max Oldoini and Fabrizio Frates, people with great basketball knowledge who helped me a lot in my journey…. Why did you make this switch?

I wanted to become a pro but I didn’t; I was a Serie C player. I wanted to stay at a high level somehow, and one day during covid, when everything was stopped, I watched a TV report with my uncle on Riccardo Fois when he was with the Suns, and I said to my uncle: ‘I would like to do something like this, but you don’t happen to know him, do you?’. ‘Sure,’ he answered, ‘I worked with him in the national team for years,’ then he called him, and I talked to him for two hours, asking him everything, and from there I started my path to college.

So Fois made you want to go to America, what was your uncle’s role?

He’s my uncle, but he’s like my idol. When I was playing and he was at Cantù, I used to practice, then watch his sessions and basically spend the whole day at Pianella. I’ve always followed him everywhere; he played a fundamental role in my life. I’m very happy to have grown up in this basketball world, and he guided me toward a clear path…. Before talking to Fois, what was your relationship with college basketball?

I was always fascinated, but not obsessed; I watched March Madness but didn’t stay up all night. I liked the draft part, and I enjoyed the fan atmosphere. I didn’t know much but I have always liked it.

Why did you choose GCU, and what was the path that led you there?

Ricky told me: ‘Pick 5 schools you want to go to; two should be easy to get into and three should be dreams.’ I made my list with Duke, North Carolina, and UCLA and then asked which two were reachable. So I asked my uncle if he knew someone in college basketball, and he said Casey Shaw at GCU, with whom he has a great relationship, like he’s half-Cantù. I called him, he explained everything, and said I could go there. So, I did all the exams and went to Arizona the following year, the last to arrive and also European, so obviously you don’t get the same treatment as an American, but I was lucky because it’s a special place….

We’ve just interviewed Filippo Messina, who went from large cities like Moscow, Madrid, and San Antonio to a small town like Durham. You did the opposite, from Cantù to Phoenix. How was this transition and what is life like in Arizona’s capital?

It wasn’t easy, but the luck of this place is that it feels like a closed city. We’re in downtown Phoenix, which used to be a bad area but it’s all cleaned up now, and the campus is literally closed inside walls—not in a bad way though. There are 25,000 students inside, and you live your life here, you have everything here, Phoenix isn’t huge, except for the heat it’s really great.

Why wasn’t it easy?

Because I was 10,000 km away from home, it’s not the easiest thing to do, I didn’t know anyone except Casey and still, leaving home wasn’t easy.

Casey Shaw was already on the Vanderbilt staff, and Bryce Drew brought him to Phoenix in 2020. In five years GCU has made big progress. What kind of coach is the Lopes coach?… Drew is amazing, you can see it from the results, he’s a great person with an incredible ability to switch from a good man off-court to a top coach on-court, I have never seen anything like it. He’s a Christian mind, and we’re in a Christian college, which is very important because for the Grand Canyon mentality, others come first, then you, meaning you help others before you help yourself. Since Drew arrived, this has become a culture that I don’t know how many other places have, it’s special, a very high-level coach both technically and in people management.

A private Christian college, tell us more about Grand Canyon.

GCU is an incredible place. Jerry Colangelo is behind everything, acting as advisor, and he’s not a nobody, so we have everything we need, with fans that are fantastic and a constantly sold-out arena. We really lack nothing, and I’m sure if Drew stays, this program will become top in far fewer years than expected.

You are now a veteran among the student managers. What does Drew ask you to do?… I started doing the ‘dirty’ jobs like bringing water bottles and wiping sweat from the last players, doing laundry, then I moved up positions, and now I am Head Manager. I manage the videos and couldn’t ask for more. I talk to Drew personally but not much about work—those things are asked directly to me by assistant coaches; Drew talks to them, they talk to me, but of course, if he needs something he tells me. I do live practice, editing training live as needed, and during games, I cut footage live so at the end of the game coaches have everything, each coach takes what they need to analyze the game. Sometimes they need a hand preparing for matches.

How many people are in the staff?

There’s Bryce Drew, 6 assistants, 3 graduate assistants, and 10 managers.

Is the coaching staff interested in European basketball and do they ask for opinions on that style, or are they a bit closed?

Yes, interest has definitely grown over the years with many Europeans arriving. I already saw the difference from the first year I arrived until now. They watch Euroleague and major championships…

What is the biggest difference between European and American basketball?

The biggest difference is the facilities here; that’s something you don’t have in Italy. In our practice facility, you have 6 baskets, 10 managers, 6 coaches, and you clearly work more specifically with everyone, so the work you do with small groups of players is much more intense than working with two baskets. Individual work here is more specific; it’s not a fault of European programs but of the entire European system; here you have people and facilities that make everything easier. Playing-wise, in Europe, offense is more calculated, but here it’s more intense. I don’t know which is better; it’s just different.

You won your first game at the Tournament, how do you experience March Madness and the preliminary phase, especially when most mid-major conferences send only one team to the tournament?

The first years, the pre-tournament phase was pure tension; we had never made it to the end, so we worked hard from morning to night, and the joy was even greater. Now, unfortunately, it’s expected that we win, and there’s still great tension but positive. They expect GCU also to win the Mountain West. Luckily, we have a winning staff; Drew succeeded 4 out of 5 years here.

This is a turning point for GCU as they start playing in Mountain West, probably the best mid-major conference. How is the university living this transition, and what are your expectations?

The step up isn’t trivial but the team is focused. I can’t say if we’ll make it all the way, but we will be competitive.

From a senior-heavy team to a much different one with many new faces, how was the rebuild?

We worked hard, no GM, so coaches did half GM jobs and contacted agents. It resulted in a good team with strong big men we didn’t have, like Demirel from Turkey whom I bet on and Dennis Evans, a 2.10m guy with arms that seem to touch the ceiling. Maybe we don’t have individual talent like last year but maybe that’s better, we’re more of a team….

You are now a college basketball veteran; how have you seen the NCAA evolve since you arrived in Phoenix?

When I arrived, I only talked to Americans; now I talk to Asians and Europeans. You understand the expansion. Personally, I think a GM is essential at this level; I imagine one will come here too, given how coaches work. I don’t think managing agents and contracts is feasible without someone managing it if you want to stay at a high level. The problem isn’t finding good players but structuring sensible contracts.

GCU doesn’t have a football team, so basketball has more funding and theoretically an advantage over rivals. Is this true?

Yes, we are the stars of the campus. The president every time he talks about basketball says it’s his favorite sport, and football doesn’t exist in his life. His vision is that GCU must become a top basketball college. It’s a huge luck for us; we had the budget we wanted, within limits, all the attention, we have everything we need, no money problems or issues in the arena. When you have a football team, it’s not that easy to create this. Especially in such a big place with 100,000 students online and 25,000 in attendance, it’s a big world. Having basketball as the first priority and 100 steps ahead of all other sports is not bad…

Do you see a big difference between international players and Americans regarding money?

Definitely, it’s not an easy topic. Internationals make much less after taxes and other things. It depends on what kind of player you are, a star or a strong player, but even in the second case, I wouldn’t complain because you still make more than in Europe and play in an incredible environment, nothing to complain about. On the other hand, I understand them because if you see a player at your level or a little above making $500k more than you, I would also be upset. Everything is changing a lot; nobody really knows what’s going on, it’s like we’re always starting new each year.

Few complain and more keep going to America. You’re still in contact with Cantù, which has always been one of the most attentive clubs regarding youth in Italy. Do you see this growing interest toward NCAA?

Absolutely, a lot. I get calls like I’m on the moon, I always see this interest; so many ask me everything. They are interested in a fascinating world from a technical staff point of view because salaries here are like Mars, and you work half as much as in Italy since the season is much shorter, and for players, too: I did the Eurocamp in Treviso, thanks to Gianluca Pascucci for letting me do that experience. Many players wanted to know how it works here, not the superstars already here but players at lower levels who had no idea and asked everything—from training to matches. There’s interest, undeniable… This is your last year at GCU, how do you see your future?

I don’t know yet. I want to see what opportunities I have. It’s a great place, I loved it and would do it a hundred thousand times again. Let’s see if I can stay, what’s in Europe. I want to do something I like regardless of where I’m at. If I have to dream, I dream of Euroleague or NBA. I’m very fascinated by front office work but have no idea how it works; I want to see what happens.

One last tough question was suggested: how do you think you can surpass in your career a historic result like winning the 2017 Trofeo delle Regioni?

You can’t go beyond the Trofeo delle Regioni; you can’t win anything better (laughs).