MyGen | Riccardo Pavese, PGC Cantù
Basketball is a matter of time and space, yet it’s also the only Game capable of living, and adapting, in every time and every space. Generation after generation. To understand where the Game stands today, and where it’s headed, there’s no lens sharper than the voices of the LBA NextGen Cup, the highest expression of Italy’s youth basketball system.
They embody the quintessence of that so-called poetry in motion: the vocation of a sport that, by its very nature, leans forward, toward progress, toward evolution. In the shifting rhythms and expanding spaces shaped by this new wave, basketball becomes a mirror of contemporary culture: something to listen to, to explore, free from stereotypes and outdated frameworks. This is MyGen. A series of visions of the Game as it is, and as it will become.
Our guest: Riccardo Pavese, class of 2008, PGC Cantù
“I met basketball because of my parents: both of them played. In a way, I was born in a gym. They were the first to put a ball in my hands, the first to show me what the Game could be. Some classmates nudged me toward it too, but the truth is simple: I started because basketball was already inside me, somehow, already part of who I was becoming.
Growing up in a basketball family means the Game is everywhere. In the stands watching my mom play, with my dad keeping me company. In a stroller on the sidelines while my father took the court. Gym floors, locker rooms, balls bouncing: those were my first landscapes. My passion wasn’t even a choice. It formed itself.
I grew up in Alba, in Piemonte. A beautiful place, but not a high-level basketball reality. The basketball history is rich, the community is warm, but the pathway is limited. Three years ago I moved to Cantù to chase this dream, because here, the Game means even something deeper. Cantù breathes basketball; they’ve written pages of Italian hoops history. When I arrived, they made me feel part of that legacy right away. I found a club that believed in me, and a place that felt like the right step forward.
Being a big man today is complicated. The position demands everything: strength, coordination, mobility, discipline. If you embrace the challenge, though, it’s full of rewards. It’s a role that tests you every day, and shapes you just as much.
I don’t believe passion is lower in my generation. Not at all. Sometimes young players need idols to look up to or a team environment that lifts them. I’m lucky: I have both. A group that pushes me, supports me, challenges me. And figures who inspire me. One of my idols is Amedeo Della Valle: we’re from the same place, and meeting him left a mark on me. Among big men, I look to players like Ricci, Bilan, or Ballo. I’m actually training with Ballo: his presence, on and off the court, is overwhelming. Dominance as a way of being.
To me, a dominant big is someone who gives their team stability (defense, rebounds, rim protection) and energy: blocks, dunks, the kind of plays that shift momentum and give your teammates belief. I try to be that kind of player: the one who bothers opponents, who disrupts rhythm, who creates problems simply by being present.
I feel at my best when I know I’m helping the team. A defensive stop that leads to a fast-break layup. A good possession. A moment where you feel the group moving as one. When the team thrives, I thrive.
When I dunk or block someone in events like the NextGen, I feel pure adrenaline. It runs through me and, hopefully, through the team too. Even watching those moments later gives me chills.
The post-up, my territory, is a world of its own. Hard, technical, demanding. Being able to play with your back to the basket and combine it with shooting, movement, defense: that’s what makes a complete big today. The Game has evolved. Roles used to be strict; now everything is fluid. Everyone can do a bit of everything. And that makes basketball more fun, more unpredictable.
What I love most about basketball is the mentality it builds. It’s not an easy environment, no high-level sport is, but basketball has a way of creating community everywhere: small teams, big teams, youth programs, pro clubs. Good environments shape good people. I’ve lived this firsthand. Being surrounded by teammates who care, who push you, who make the grind enjoyable… It's perfect.
Basketball has shaped me as a person more than anything else. Moving away from home, meeting different people, learning new ways of communicating and living: it changed my character, my identity, my whole story. Outside the court I’m like any other guy: friends, music, simple things.
When people say this generation ‘doesn’t have a mind,’ I disagree completely. I’m part of this generation. And I want to prove them wrong: through work, through daily commitment, through results that speak louder than opinions. My answer will always be what I show on the court.
My dream is simple: reach the highest level I possibly can. Go beyond my limits. Become the best version of myself, and let it show. That’s the goal. Every day.”
