The Philippines is a basketball-crazy country, a passion that is well-known worldwide. But outside the country, other hoop junkies share the same passion. Some go the extra mile and come up with innovative ideas using today’s technology.

Dario Ferretti, the founder of the Pick-Roll mobile app, is one of them. The basketball enthusiast developed a geolocated mobile app designed to help users discover nearby courts, organize friendly matches, and rate teammates and opponents based on their skills.

I was fortunate enough to talk to Ferretti to learn more about this app that is certain to pique the interest of Filipinos. He shared how he came up with the concept when he was in the United Kingdom.

“I am a fanatic of basketball. When I was in Greece, I was looking for a basketball court to play and meet new people. But I realized that not knowing the city, it was practically impossible to do,” the Pick-Roll app CEO started.

When he got home, Ferretti started by developing a simple website using his graphic design skills, which was dedicated to court mapping. People who helped enhance the app eventually became his business partners. That list includes former NBA player Andrea Bargnani, the first-ever Italian selected as the top pick during the 2006 NBA Draft.

After pushing the app on social media, Dario admitted that he was overwhelmed by the response. He was surprised to find hundreds of fans adding playing fields on the website, realizing that others were as crazy about basketball as he was.

This led to his app gaining the attention of professional clubs, including Serie A and A2. This convinced them to share their basketball courts to enrich the offer of facilities available on Pick-Roll.

“We realized that many others had the same issue. So that's when I understood it could become a meaningful project capable of helping basketball enthusiasts around the world,” Ferretti said.

Ferretti admits that for 2025, there are plans to widen the coverage of the Pick-Roll app. He named their target countries, and that list included the Philippines.

“In 2025, we would like to launch our app in different countries like France, Italy, Spain, and Central America — and obviously Filipinas (Philippines), a very important part because of the huge number of basketball fans,” he quipped.

One thing Dario pointed out in our conversation is that with the app, discovering players from different regions could eventually help improve the Italian national team. While most know how strong the 5x5 national team is, Ferretti hopes that their app can also improve Italy’s chances in the 3x3 niche.

“It's a pleasure for us to collaborate with the international and the Italian Basketball Federation to give a strong boost to the 3x3 movement. 3x3 is the best side to play on the basketball court at the moment, particularly in the Olympics. It is growing,” he pointed out.

Hence, the same could work for the Philippines, considering the country has been performing well in this basketball discipline. With an app like this, not only will it allow basketball fanatics to convene, but also possibly draw out unknown players who are gifted at playing hoops.

Ferretti shared that he held talks with local basketball bodies and there is a chance he could be visiting the country soon. It could be a useful tool for Filipino hoop junkies, especially those who often look for courts to play on or are very particular about their development and personal statistics.