The sound of the siren after forty minutes of great basketball marked the achievement of the seasonal objective for Assigeco Piacenza, i.e. the long-awaited arrival in the playoffs which also represents automatic salvation in Serie A2 for next season. To win the two crucial points against Treviglio, a great demonstration of character from the red and white was needed, and now the last obstacle before the post-season will be the match at PalaRadi at 6.00 pm on Sunday 21 April against Ferraroni JuVi Cremona. One week after the important milestone deservedly achieved, Coach Salieri wants to end the regular season on a high note, while recognizing the importance of what has been demonstrated so far on the field:
“Reaching the seasonal goal was not easy, both due to the very high level of the group and because we had to do without the fundamental contribution of a player like Miller, which makes what the boys gave on the field even more special. If we didn’t get upset after Treviglio’s comeback it was above all thanks to the determination of the group and the certainties on which we had based the match, our strong start was the result of a mental and technical impact on the match which the boys then translated onto the field”.
On Saturday there were many “heroes” among the red and white ranks: Veronesi with his offensive production, Bonacini with that very heavy triple, Skeens in his all-round version and many other top performances. Who particularly impressed you and why?
“I was struck by the positive attitude of the whole team, the boys were totally focused and goal-oriented. There was this desire to win that exuded from everyone and everyone put that little bit extra which then determined high profile individual performances. In the end we won by a handful of points, so every aspect was decisive in reaching the final result, including the sacrifice of Filoni who took to the pitch in pain after a week in which he hadn’t trained, making a fundamental contribution.”
Let’s imagine a ranking of the most important matches since you started this adventure with Assigeco. Where do you place last Saturday’s game?
“It was a very important match, especially from an emotional and motivational point of view, but in the end it was two points just like the victory in Rieti, another fundamental piece to give everyone the belief that they can compete for the playoffs despite Miller’s heavy absence . This year there have been many matches that have given us something extra, such as the victories against Udine and Verona, then the double clash with Cento was invaluable. I couldn’t make a comparison with the matches of previous years, also because the level of the championship has risen from year to year.”
In recent months the team has had to overcome some difficult periods. What quality did your parents bring out that made you most proud of the group?
“I was pleased that there has always been a desire to compete, and that’s the main thing. Then every year you have to adapt to the characteristics of your players, trying to hide the defects and enhance the qualities of the individuals. This is how you can have that improvement that over time allows you to do great things, just like we did this year. This has certainly been the toughest year so far in my time at Assigeco, getting to the playoffs was a masterpiece.”
The match against JuVi will be the last match of the season before the long-awaited playoffs. What do you expect from this match?
“It is a match that we must approach with the seriousness and desire to play that we have always shown on the pitch, but also with the joy and serenity of having reached a very difficult goal, also because the market has changed many of the balances on the pitch. From this point of view we didn’t want to do anything, in the summer we made important choices that we defended and maintained throughout the year. We want to end a wonderful period well, so we will have to face the match with the right motivation, we will try to do well against a team that has deservedly reached the playoffs in the other group.”
FERRARONI JUVI CREMONA CREMONA
After revolutionizing the roster in the past summer transfer window, Ferraroni JuVi Cremona played a convincing first phase of the championship. The scheduled phase, however, did not give too much satisfaction to the team coached by Luca Bechi, who still sits in sixth place in the Green Group standings on equal points with Treviglio with a record of 14 wins and 17 defeats. The starting five is led by the talent and creativity of Vincent Shahid and Tekele Cotton, an all stars and stripes backcourt with great scoring potential. The first was among the few positive notes of the Verona trip – 16 points in 26 minutes of play – while the second, more experienced and physical than his compatriot, is an old acquaintance of the Italian championship having already played in A2 with Cento’s jersey in the 2020/21 season. The wings of the quintet will be Lorenzo Tortu and Cosimo Costi, solid players in their first year in Cremona, but immediately fixed points in coach Bechi’s rotations. Under the basket the red and white will have to deal with Luca Vincini, a pivot born in 2003 who has significantly improved over the course of the season. The task of replacing the American duo is often entrusted to Antonino Sabatino, who after two years in San Severo decided to join the lily club. Other weapons in the current match are the winger Gabriele Benetti, author of a surprising promotion with Pistoia last year, and Marco Timperi. The news recently arrived of the consensual termination with the expert pivot Daniele Magro, who was immediately replaced by the arrival of the promising young Nicolò Virginio from Pallacanestro Varese. The young players Francesco Grassi and Alessandro Biaggini complete the roster.
HOW TO WATCH THE MATCH
The ticket price in the guest sector will be 20 euros, contrary to what the club requested as an exchange of favors given the good relations between the teams. The match can be viewed live streaming on LNP Pass. The race is followed with real-time updates on the company’s social profiles: Facebook (https://it-it.facebook.com/uccassigecopiacenza/) and Instagram (@ucc_assigeco_piacenza).
Tags: Assigeco test playoffs Cremona JuVi
