Sixteen-year-old Samuel Deguara is set for an exciting basketball career which could, one day, land him a place in the NBA.

As already published yesterday in The Malta Independent, Deguara has signed a nine-year contract with Treviso Benetton, one of the top Italian clubs, which binds the player to the club till the year 2016.

Treviso were contacted by a certain Riccardo Sbezzi, a Sicilian living in Ragusa, Sicily, who had the opportunity to take stock of the Maltese youngster, during the recent training camp held by the Maltese in Ragusa, under the charge of Malta’s national coach, Bruno Di Pietrantonio.

Sbezzi is one of the most active procurators of players in the Italian basketball scene.

Deguara was snapped up by Treviso because of his height – 223 centimetres – and also because he left a good impression during the training camp.

However, according to Guido Guida of the Gazzetta dello Sport, it was his first days at Treviso that convinced the directors of the club to sign him. Said Sbezzi: “At Treviso, Deguara immediately made an impact and Giorgio Buzzavo, director general of VerdeSport, was so enthusiastic about this youngster – the tallest man in Malta – that he wanted to sign him immediately.”

Sbezzi also said that he was convinced Deguara would, one day, turn into a top level player. “That is why I decided to offer him to Treviso instead of one of the several clubs from all over Europe who were ready to sign him up. I can say he has much better prospects that Pavel Podkolzon, another giant who I had assisted and who had made it to the NBA,” he added.

Guida went on to write on how dedicated and committed Deguara is with Treviso. He wrote: “Because of the fact that there is no bus service which could get him on time for his daily training sessions at the club, he walks 10 kilometres every time. He amazes everyone with his talent, especially with his great coordination in proportion to his height and his ability to shoot even while suspended in the air.”

Guida added that his first request to Treviso was to assign him a bicycle so that he could avoid the long 10-km walk because of training. It was also discovered that he had undergone his first training sessions with a fractured toe, about which he had told no one.