THEY SAY WE
explores a selection of thoughts excerpts from our memory book, stories that lie behind our Basket. I hope that it will take you on a pleasant voyage filled with endless sources of inspiration, from player, man, artist, and actor, and that you will appreciate it as much as me, because it is in the hands that head and heart find the realization of their dreams. Travel is an infinite sum of memories. The best landscapes are the one etched in the memory. Travel is about meeting people. Even if you don't share a common language, a smile, and body gesture will always help you to create a bond. These are the kinds of memories that will last forever. Take the time to observe your surrounding and try to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. with love Claudio
FAMILIAR STRANGERS
History is not just something from the past. It’s in all of us. We are human, we are different, but there are a lot of similarities. And it’s interesting to see the things we share. The common ground. Gazing beyond the visible, we can catch a glimpse of this perfect web where every creature is connected to the other. Nourishing our creativity to face tomorrow’s challenges. Our message is to be seen as an invitation to find one’s balance, to not cross the line, to not overdo things and to give our guys a chance to be just that, allowing them to develop their own imagination and to express themselves. Learning to dig deep and to know oneself will be a positive and useful tool to face the world of tomorrow. Guys are not the people of tomorrow, but people today. They are entitled to be taken seriously. They have the right to be treated by adults with respect, as equals, not as master or objects of the ego. They should be allowed to grow into whoever they were meant to be. The unknown person inside each of them is the hope for the future. It's this stillness and this moment of reflection that inspires us. BTA pieces together tiny fragments of images, of a lived moment, to create something new in a historical moment that allows us to do little. After all, every photo is visual communication, it represents and keeps a detail of life, it creates memories which otherwise would become weaker as they are repeated and as time moves on. (They repeat themselves but they are never the same). So it's just about piecing all of those instants, of those smiles, to recreate the moment. We'd like to tell stories that can’t be found in history books. We believe that telling the story of places is important not only for the places but for people to feel a sense of pride, an attachment and a belonging to … a lot can happen in over 40 years. Although we might count time in minutes, days and years, we measure their value in Moments. Here are some of our favourites:
We met in the Summer 2021, he lived in a complicated world. A couple of months after August we found ourselves spending hours on that cold bench discussing various topics including spirituality, soul and everything that should be normal in the mental Game.
'I can only express my gratitude for what Walter has become ... ' ... Entered the seminary in October 2023
I can only thank you
Mamma Sabrina
... '... you take care of people at all levels, not just the playing field, and this is what makes you a reference figure who worries and takes care of us ... guys who have been left to themselves and a superficial existence that does not belong to us.' ...
Feel loved
Walter Ferraioli
... 'The last thing I would have thought about my life is to find a true world in sports. A sport that had always been presented to me as a pastime that would never lead me anywhere. Thanks to you and to BTA I have come to understand what it means to play sports, and that is to grow in sport, in mind and spirit. I appreciate all that you have done and are still doing for me.'
Claudio you are a 'life-style'
Riccardo Sironi
... 'BTA World is a combination of 'colors, smells and tastes'. One of the most magical things you can see in this world, this great blank canvas, is that you participate with your very being in what you’re about to learn. I think that society needs a great deal of time to reflect, to recognize the quality of our lives, our spirituality, and to 'breathe in' nature in all its beauty. BTA is about distilling the essence, the essential meaning, the most important aspects of the Game.' ...
Thanks for all
Ryan Lewis
Because of social media, and youtube, there’s just no mystique about anyone anymore. We can only get what they choose to give us, it’s not like we can truly seek things out. BTA ... searching for deeply woven tales rather than transient moments.
Thanks BTA
Thomas Onyehara
... '... and thanks to you because without you this court would have no meaning. Finding people who teach you a passion or help you feel better, without expecting anything in return, is a fortune.' ...
Goodnight coach
Meriem Nasraoui
... 'and the way I want to do that is to experience this world called BTA, where I have realized that I can learn to give what I have received ...'
thanks
Gabriele Sironi
Everything in BTA has always been about Passion. 'It's a place for Basketball Players and guys who are excited by basketball. And anyone that doesn't like Basketball is not welcome.' This is the first sentence I heard in BTA. Anyone who works in a creative field will recognise that moment when a desire for control and order begins to restrict the very thing it was brought in to promote, to live, to experience. That’s when you lose your soul. Culture always has to triumph over corporate process if you are to have any hope of retaining an independently creative mindset. I worry sometimes we’ve all become too uniform, too predictable because, back in the day, I’d go to my friend’s house and see his LP collection or CD collection. I’d see his books and I’d start to get it get a sense of the person. Whereas now, everything’s just IKEA furniture & iphones in people’s houses. What I didn’t really understand at first was that culture does come from the top. And I know that’s a cheesy phrase that you hear, but I’ve really learned it because I’m really into Basketball and doing things the right way. Soul is that indefinable thing that you never seem to find on the ground or in a planning document and yet it’s something that BTA is passionate about. Why shouldn’t Basketball have a little bit of soul incorporated into it ... always? BTA is a keen supporter of soul-grown talent. BTA is actually a very talented Club of storytellers, whether it be through the court and its philosophy, the Basket and its technique, the complexity and Soul of its Coaches and Athletes. The best way to describe BTA is: you help guys make sense of sport, of life. That's it. It's as simple as that. Or, to be more accurate, like Basketball itself, it's as simple or as complicated as you want to make it or to live it.
with love
Stefan Jensen
BTA World, I will never forget where my Story began. BTA embodies the Art of Basketball and through it, all the emotional moments that it intends to cultivate: those that we savour, that we long for, that we will remember. BTA looks after the Art of moments adding a touch of pace to every workout. For all these moments when Stories are lived and human values are transmitted ... thanks for celebrating the moments that make life more beautiful through a sport made of emotion. Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
with love
James Davis
I don't think that every soul is supposed to be in one place. I do think, in a way ... it's a place ... it's also a feeling ... it is both! I want to experience new things. I want to feel exhilarated. If you meet the right community you can feel at home anywhere ... it doesn't matter where. I think when curiosity outweighs comfort ... that's when you really find something special. BTA is the word that describes that familiar feeling of your heart being at home. From the sensation of your toes in warm sand to the calming silence on your favorite hiking trail. A place, a smell or some detail in everyday life, it’s a concept with no singular meaning. BTA is a universal feeling for all. BTA World is a walk along a path that varies according to the depth of the Soul.
with love
Kevin Patterson & Adrien Roger
Only recently have we begun to acknowledge the importance of remembering our failures just as much as we celebrate our successes. That’s what this moment demands, not just change, but a completely new way of thinking. Now is also the time to reassess what we value, and what we believe is worth remembering. I will never forget where my story began. My life started in a place of pure thought and friendship, place of encounters, of shared passion, a place for growth. It was here that I learned the fundamentals of basketball, but more importantly, it was here that I learned how to become a man. I played for myself, for the joy, for the growth—without worrying about what the future held, at least not yet. Then, one day, my career blossomed. My dream had simply been to become a good player. I never dared to dream beyond that, so every moment since has felt like a gift. Along the way, I realized something: the more success you find as a player, the less time you have to truly play, to talk, to just be with your friends. I learned that there's a difference between the business of playing basketball and playing basketball itself. Playing basketball is an act of creation, of passion, of friendship. The business of playing basketball, on the other hand, is doing everything necessary to make sure you get the chance to play again. What I long for most is the simple luxury of those moments when I truly get to play basketball again.
Thanks for all BTA.
Alexander Dawson
… “I think that everyone, throughout their entire existence, meets lots of people and tries try to take the best from them to improve themselves ... as you always say, basketball doesn't have a single purpose. It should prepare you for real life, school, work, and prepare you for the challenges ahead, and so on, and whatever the future holds for me, I wanted to thank you because some points of view, experiences, friendships and choices that I live or make today are also due to that little bit of basketball that I was able to 'draw out' from you.” …
Thanks
Simone Brioschi
"I am very pleased that Gregory can learn lots of things from you at a very high level even beyond sports because the passion and care you put into your work with the guys is extraordinary and is not limited to the attention to physical movement but to the person as a whole ..." ... [Mamma Enrica]
I love you so much
[I believe this message means everything, everything you mean to someone. Thanks Greg]
Gregorio Braga
"In the Italian basketball world you are unique, it took me a while, but I figured it out. Thank you for what you have taught him." ... [Papà Antonio]
Thanks a lot
Francesco Barreca
"All true! At the same time, one comes up against a different, ancient, archaic vision of life, a vision according to which to grow and evolve is wrong. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet your world before because if it is true that one is born with certain visions, it is also true that certain visions may be acquired after having known them."
Thanks for all
Simone Mastore
‘Is it right or wrong? Is he a coach or a ball boy? Is it a concept or a rule? Is he a fool or an idiot? Is he naked or dressed? Is he Italian or American? Is he black or white? Is he sweet or salty? Is he feet or space? Is he alien or human? The first time I saw this man I unconsciously had to ask myself and formulate many of the questions listed above ... eh I’m not kidding ... For the past seven years I have spent almost every summer day with this man together with other guys of all ages and every day, lived with him, is magical. Not only because he teaches us to be creative and to fully express our technical, physical and mental potentials within a basketball court, but more importantly, he teaches us the importance of human values, every day. Those damn human values to which sometimes we don’t give importance because we think we take them for granted, but, in reality, we don’t even know where to start. The abundance, the Passion and the Freedom that he shares daily are truly impressive. Even more, his way of meditating, acting, seeing things and thinking of the next before himself. You are unique’. YOU ARE UNIQUE. [July 2019]
You are an inspiration Claudio
Lorenzo Maspero
'Thinking outside the box and experimenting with new techniques, making the game simple yet highly effective. Thanks BTA'.
with love
Niklas Karjalainen
"Would love to train under you. Please let me know if it's possible to train under you if so let me know the details." ...
best
Jelani Poston
"A world to share experiences and ideas with, on and off the court."
with love
Paolo Viganò
"BTA, Claudio, the one who's always there for me" ...
a special shout-out
Roberto Rapelli
"A place where I can really be myself'.
Thanks
Filippo Attolini
... "... anyway, when he gets out of these workouts he never smiles, he only smiles when he is with you." ... [Papà Luca]
Thanks for your time
Edoardo Pozzi
I shrouded between falsehood and hypocrisy (the pages of a newspaper) a story of extraordinary courage and honesty, which are totally lacking in my generation. But Dr. Ambrosoli's courage cannot be bought in the boutique as the elders said. We simply need to appreciate it in other people, including yours.
Thanks Claudio
Sergio Fiorini
... "... and it was here that I realized there was a place where people engaged with the world of ideas I, too, longed to be part of ..." ...
Thanks for your time
Timothy Nath
"Some call me a dreamer, yet marvel at all I achieve."
Thanks
Ryan Wright
'It’s from the champions of the impossible, rather than from the slaves of the possible, that evolution draws its creative force. [Ref. Barbara Wootton]
I’ve always tended to avoid taking things literally. For me, learning or creating a new basketball move is like opening another door or window in the mind. The moment you try something new, you start becoming someone new. You begin to bend, to move, to access unfamiliar ideas, creating something on my own allows me to feel free, it helps me understand emotions and experiences that would otherwise stay hidden. It means the world to me. Without it, I would be lost. The atmosphere shifts ... I was lost, until I found you. Most people don’t really think about the future, or if they do, they see it as a series of inevitabilities. But you challenge that. You help people see the future as something open, participatory, a canvas waiting to be filled. Even today, playing basketball is what makes me feel most connected, to myself, and to life.
with love
Tyler Scott
"Yeah, the emotions are in the details. Thanks for showing them to me."
with love
Daniel Sivan
"BTA World, an interaction between techniques and creativity where details make a difference on the court." ...
with love
Dan Reynolds
Looking at the pictures you took yesterday can make you feel like a passive spectator in this warm and strange moment in your quiet living room, in front of your fireplace, but unconsciously, viewing all the photos together, you start to feel the atmosphere of those moments recreate itself in the room. A picture can tell you a lot if you let it, it can create pure magic. Body language and knowing eyes, always seemingly looking at something beyond the frame, suggest feeling, complexity and a life that continues once the moment has moved on. The wistful looks out the window, the photo frames on the wall or on the table, and the Winter colour scheme of deep reds, yellows and browns gives a real sense of nostalgia and the passage of time. Those photos are a moment from the past but they are also a memory, and that moment is yours and yours alone, and it's timeless. Appreciate it today ... it's worth much more. Our Basket allows us to connect with other human beings without having to talk, without having to be present. To us, that kind of connection is the most rewarding aspect of being an Artist because real basketball is, and creates, Art ... it creates deep bonds.
'One good wish changes nothing. But one good decision changes everything. Your power to choose, to make a good decision, spells the difference between wishing and making real life changes.' [Ref. Steve Goodier]