The 40-year-old, who has led Montepaschi to the last three Lega A titles and also turned the club into a powerhouse in Europe, has replaced his former boss at the Siena club, Carlo Recalcati, as the Azzurri coach.
 
Recalcati recently ended his eight-year reign with the national side during which the team won the silver medals at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, losing in the final to Argentina.

But the team failed to make it to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing or the European Championships in Poland last year, the first time they not qualified since 1963 and means they will not compete at this year's World Championships in Turkey.
 
Pianigiani has signed a two-year contract extension and will combine his role with that of head coach of Montepaschi Siena.

The 2008–09 season was especially notable for Pianigiani as Montepaschi won the Italian SuperCup pre-season,  the Italian Cup at midseason, and won the championship by sweeping all three of their playoff series.
 
In 44 domestic games that season, they lost only once.
 
Pianigiani's first task will be to attempt to steer the Italians into EuroBasket 2011 and qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.