Meo Sacchetti, the former national coach of Italy, has announced his retirement from basketball coaching. In a heartfelt message posted on Instagram, he stated, “I am Meo Sacchetti, coach of Herons Montecatini. And I can announce that starting tonight, I am stepping down from my role as coach of the Herons. I’ve had wonderful moments and I extend my sincere congratulations to the club, as I found something different here and didn’t expect such enthusiasm. I am done with basketball; my last game as a coach was in Caserta and unfortunately ended in a loss. Basketball has brought me much satisfaction, both in terms of results, encounters, and travels, but I am now returning to my hometown, Alghero.”
Sacchetti, a celebrated figure in Italian basketball, concluded his illustrious coaching career after a highly successful tenure. During his playing days, he represented Italy with distinction, participating in 132 games and scoring 945 points. His international achievements include a silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, a gold medal at the 1983 European Championships in Nantes, and a bronze medal at the 1985 European Championships in Stuttgart.
His coaching career was equally remarkable. Notably, he led Dinamo Sassari to a historic treble in the 2014-15 season, winning the league championship, Coppa Italia, and Super Cup. Sacchetti was recognized as the Serie A Coach of the Year twice, first with Sassari in 2012 and again with Cremona in 2019.
The mustachioed coach also had a significant impact on the Italian national team, famously guiding Italy to qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, seventeen years after their appearance in Athens. This was achieved by winning the Belgrade pre-Olympic tournament against Serbia in what is considered one of the most memorable games in Italian basketball history. In 2019, he repeated this feat by qualifying Italy for the World Cup, an accomplishment they had not achieved since 2006 (as a participant) and 1998 (after a victory against Greece). Romeo Sacchetti was deservedly inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
