Meet the Basket Wives: Jenny Binetti

Today you get to meet Jenny Binetti. Some of you may have actually read about her last fall when I mentioned that amazing woman who hunted down 15 jars of peanut butter for us in her city in Italy for us since we didn’t have any. Jenny and I have never met in person but have enjoyed getting to know one another through the internet and through the second hand contact of our husbands. The last two years Joe and Jenny’s husband Tony have played again each other in Italy. And when I say play against, they really do because they are both point guards, so they aren’t just on opposing teams. But our relationship has been one that represents the wonderful world of international basketball wives because there is only good that is desired for one another. Where in other professional athletic arenas women may be catty and mean about other women’s husbands or boyfriends succeeding, the international basketball wives are really a wonderful group of women who are all on the same side. We of course like to see our husbands do well, but support one another as well. And Jenny has been a wonderful example to me of that over the last two years. She is encouraging, thoughtful and a beautiful example of a supportive wife, which you will see as you read more about her today.

How did you and your husband meet?
Tony and I have actually known each other since we were tiny! Both sets of our grandparents were friends, and then our older sisters were friends too, so we have many stories of us playing together when we were younger. However, we didn’t officially start dating until our junior year of high school, after our state basketball tournaments were over of course So we feel like we have a very strong bond that started before we even knew it!

Where was the first place you lived internationally?
The first place we lived after getting married was Capo d’Orlando in Sicily. The team happened to fold after about two months so we ended up going back home then we were off to Cantu, Italy, and then Tony ended the season in Brindisi, Italy. So in our first year of marriage we were on 3 different teams and moved quite a bit in 9 months! However, my very first experience was in Castelletto, Italy when we were still dating in 2006. Our experience there was amazing and we made great friends with the Italians and our American teammates…in fact we are still in contact with most of them to this day

How long has your husband played?
Tony is heading (Lord willing) into his 7th season overseas. He was lucky enough to leave right after his college season to play 3 months for Fortitudo Bolonga during our Spring quarter of college…but I still count that as a season because it was a long time!

What cities have you lived in internationally?
We have lived in Capo d’Orlando Italy, Cantu Italy, Brindisi Italy, Sassari, Italy, and Veroli, Italy. Tony has also lived in Bologna Italy, Castelletto Italy, and Santiago de Compostela Spain.

If you had to pick a favorite international city, which one is it and why?
My favorite place to live was Sassari, Italy which is on the island of Sardegna. The island of Sardegna was so amazing and beautiful. We lived ten minutes from the beach and we were very close to the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen (Stintino, and Porto Cervo!) I also was able to teach English during the year and practice with a women’s basketball team. SO I loved it there!

Please share one funny moment about living overseas.
I feel like there is too many to count, but probably the best was when our car broke down one year and their version of a temporary car was the team VAN! My mom happened to be visiting then too, so we seriously drove around in this gigantic van for a couple of weeks…not too mention a huge McDonald’s decal on the side. Not exactly our idea of a temporary car!

What is the toughest struggle you have encountered as a basket wife overseas?
One of the toughest struggles I have overseas is missing family and events back home. My hardest days are holidays and family birthdays. These are days when skype makes life harder because I can see our family all together and enjoying and celebrating all together…which is hard to watch from a country away. But I try my best to look at the positive side and be happy that technology has come so far and I can see and talk to my family whenever I want!

What is the greatest lesson you have learned as a basket wife?
Just ROLL with it! I am the type of person that likes things to happen when they are supposed to, but in Italy things just never seem to! It makes me laugh just thinking about things happening on time or on schedule while we are living in Italy. So I have been slowly learning to not get upset or bothered by things not happening when they are supposed to. I have a feeling this is a valuable lesson to learn before having kids