Mattia Ceccato is a young Italian basketball talent who has already made a name for himself with his exceptional performances. Born in Ragusa, Sicily, he started playing basketball in Comiso, where his father Davide, a basketball coach, introduced him to the world of basketball. From there, Mattia started playing in the minibasket and was then spotted by one of the most attentive clubs in the youth world, Basket San Lazzaro di Savena, practically Bologna. "They had made some videos that had circulated and had arrived at Basket San Lazzaro. They invited me to a tournament in Fano, with them. I liked it and I went to Bologna", remembers Mattia. In his transfer to Olimpia, his performance at the LudecCup, a tournament in Tuscany reserved for Under 15, was decisive. "Simone Halabi, who was then coaching at Olimpia, saw me. I didn't know he was following me, but he invited me to do a tournament with Olimpia and the next year I arrived here. At that point, something changed in me: Olimpia gave me the opportunity to gain experience even in major tournaments and then I was able to develop physically and finally tactically. The choice to come here was also made to have the opportunity every day to confront myself with the best, against Lonati and against Garavaglia. The culture I found here is exceptional, I'm talking about method, structures, history, competitiveness". Even though he's been in the national team for years, Ceccato's "coming-out party" was last summer in Istanbul. "We had lost badly in the first two games but instead of disuniting we got closer in the locker room and from the third game with New Zealand we changed everything. It will always be in my heart, not just for the importance of the event or the result but for how we interpreted it". Also from a personal point of view: 9.6 points per game, 69.2% from three, 83.3% from the free throw line, 3.9 assists. The gem was crafted in the semifinals, against Turkey, 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, 7 of 7 from the free throw line. At that point, he was already in Milan for a year. "I define myself as a player who loves to play and who loves to win, but who also knows that he has to work to reach his goals".