In 1972, after obtaining excellent results with the students team, winning the tournament City of Sesto,[3] he is called by Simmenthal to work with the youth department of the club.
[4] Having joined Pippo Faina, and after spending nine years to serve as assistant to Dan Peterson, first in cohabitation with William Roggiani and later as a single voice,[5] he began as a coach just with the Milanese team in 1987–88, winning immediately two international titles, the FIBA Club World Cup in September 1987 and the FIBA European Champions Cup in April 1988 to obtain the repeat for Tracer.
In the 1988–89 season he led Philips in the winning of the Italian League although in the European competitions his team was excluded in the semifinals by Wiwa Vismara Cantù.
Then he takes over Virtus Roma from Paolo Di Fonzo: out of the playoffs in 1992–93, despite having reached the 1993 FIBA Korać Cup final (lost just against D'Antoni's Philips Milano) he is replaced by Nevio Ciaralli in 1993–94.
[7] His last Italian experience as a coach is the conclusion of the 1997–98 season to Stefanel Milano: after having taken over from Franco Marcelletti, reached the FIBA EuroCup final,[8] by losing it (against Žalgiris), and still went out of the first round of the playoffs.