ITALIAN roots run deep for the retooled Nxled side.
With 50-year-old veteran shot-caller Ettore Guidetti at the helm, he shares part of his heritage with one of his star spikers in Chiara Permentilla.
READ: Guidetti says all-Filipino conference crucial to PH volleyball's growth
The former Adamson standout was born and raised in Italy before taking her talents to the Philippines to pursue her volleyball career.
Out of all the foreign coaches she’s played for in the PVL, it’s Guidetti who reminds her the most of home.
And such an Italian-grounded bond is one they carry on and off the court.
Buongiorno, Ettore
Guidetti’s arrival at Nxled was made much smoother by the fact that he has a strong grasp of the English language.
Every once in a while, Guidetti pulls out a few Italian phrases that Permentilla can pick up and pass on to the rest of the team.
“I’m very thankful na fluent siya mag-English compared sa previous coach namin na hindi marunong mag-English. ‘Yun ‘yung una kong tinanong, magaling ba [si coach Ettore] mag-English kasi baka may magiging interpreter din," she said.
“Luckily, he knows the language very well.”
Permentilla furthered: “Nandun talaga ‘yung connection and sometimes, during the game, during training if he wants to tell me something like super quick lang he would tell it to me in Italian para magbilis lang talaga sabihin.
Nxled’s newest tactician isn’t one to play favorites, and Permentilla, even with their Italian bond, is no exception.
“I’m very grateful na he doesn't see it as ‘Oh, you're from Italy also,’ that's why ikaw ‘yung papapaluin ko, Hindi siya ganun. He's very fair,” the ex-Adamson star said.
“The very first time na nakita ko siya, ang sinasabihin niya lagi sa akin, ‘I don't care where you're coming from. I don't care if you're this kind of player or this kind of player. I just care what you do inside the court.’
“He's an observer and he sees everything. So wala, plus points lang talaga na I can understand him and maybe talk about something na people wouldn't understand.”
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