Best year ever. Since the return to Serie A in 2016, but also since the ball in white and blue segments rolls in the basketball that counts. The golden era of Brescia basketball is the one we are experiencing. And if before 2025 one could even get lost in acrobatic sophisms and comparisons with the aftertaste of nostalgia, after the last twelve months there is little to discuss: with records and firsts, the team that belonged to Peppe Poeta and is now driven by Matteo Cotelli has changed horizons and rewritten history.
The year of miracles
Let’s start from last January and from the first place at the halfway point of the first leg conquered by the Poeta band: needless to say, a feat never achieved in our area. A feat that was the exhilarating prelude to another sensational record: that of the 22 victories in the championship, to establish a third place finish which matches that of the last Magro (who stopped at 21 hits in 30 games).
The best, however, came once the regular season was over: the play-off sprint between May and June is the highest point Brescia basketball has ever reached (so far). In the quarterfinals the series with Trieste, brought home thanks to two away victories as a true Leonessa (in particular the one in game 4, with the blackout of the stadium and the 88-92 after extra time to establish the 3-1 point); in the semi-final the masterpiece of 3-0 over Trapani, forced to surrender despite the odds and the double victory over Brescia in the regular season; finally the championship challenge with Bologna, with that damned injury to Momo Ndour still keeping the Germani fans awake. 3-0 for Virtus, ok, but who would have thought that Brescia could one day get to play for the tricolor. All true, all wonderful.
From Poet to Cotelli
With the only flaw being Peppe Poeta’s shining eyes after the fourth siren of game 3 and that unpleasant sensation that the fairy tale was about to end after a physiologically unrepeatable single act. And instead in the summer the club had the strength to confirm the group of the year of miracles as a whole and the foresight to focus on Matteo Cotelli. Another debutant, another successful bet.
The numbers on the scoresheet at the end of December say so. Starting from the 11 victories in 13 games which currently have only one precedent: last December by Poeta. With the prospect, in case of success on Sunday on the Sassari parquet, of materializing a 12/2 which is unprecedented in Brescia (not to mention a possible 13/2 at the end of the first round which would be twice sensational in case of success against Tortona on Sunday 11 January).
There is little that can be done: the golden era of Brescia basketball is the one we are experiencing. At the end of a 2025 marked by the beauty of 30 victories in official matches against 14 defeats, with PalaLeonessa still unclimbed this season and having not fallen in the regular season since March. Crazy, crazy stuff. Brescia is among the greats of our basketball on a permanent basis and fully launched towards a no limits 2026.
Starting from the final sprint of the first round, with the two matches already mentioned to be played and the victory against Venezia which kept Germani in contact with Bologna, and from the catwalk of the Italian Cup which in February will offer Cotelli the opportunity to play the second final of his career as head coach (the first, unfortunately, was won by Milan in the Super Cup). Further on is the play-off and the assault on the Scudetto, with the Olimpia Milano of the former Poeta and the Italian champions Virtus Bologna who, as always, have something more but who will have to earn the luxury of being on two different sides of the scoreboard. We will see. The certainty here is called Brescia. Brescia is a year that is already history. Looking forward to 2026 and other records.
