Valerio Roila
The regular season is over, and we can finally say so. Longer than other seasons, due to the reform which added four matches to the calendar (and next year it could be even worse, if the option of two groups of 21 teams instead of three of 14 teams were passed), very hard because the blow of the shears to the number of clubs between A2 and B has concentrated talent and competitive hunger, making the so-called “mattress” teams almost disappear, and tormented, for the black-green colours, between the “round trip” of Garelli on the bench, with an interregnum of Lotesoriere, and for the change of skin in the roster, with the desired Poletti replacing the sacked Aromando and the French Begarin covering Tomasini’s injury. Given what has been said, it is difficult to trace absolute trends within the Blacks’ figures, but a “summa” of what was expressed on the parquet can still be glimpsed in the team statistics. Which above all reward the defensive phase of the Blacks, fifth in terms of points conceded (74 on average), thanks to the protection of their scoreboard (first data in the group for offensive rebounds conceded, just 7.6, and second for total ones), and to the forcing of almost 14 losses per game to opponents. The goodness of the offensive games is instead mainly demonstrated by the management of the ball, with the 19 average assists which are worth first place in the entire category, even if it was an unhappy season from the point of view of percentages, especially from the arc , with the final 30% which turns out to be the second worst figure in Serie B. Attempts from maximum distance which have sometimes been abused (27.4 average, second in the group), with the contributory cause of opponents who profited from the crooked aim of the neroverdi, closing to «zone» or collapsing into the area in pick and rolls. The presence under the basket is also certified by the figures of the offensive rebounds won, 12.7 per game, and in this case too it is a category record, while the 40 in total lift Faenza to second place in the group. Numbers that speak to Manfredi’s capacity for reactivity and mental presence in the offensive phase, even if they betray the aforementioned low percentage from the arc, which allows for some long rebounds that are more contestable to their rivals. Finally, there is little defensive “intimidation”, with the third worst result in terms of blocks given (0.8). Moving on to individual statistics, the official ones of the LNP exclude those who have not played at least half of the calendar games with the same shirt (see Poletti, Begarin and Tomasini), leaving those who have left the team in the rankings (Aromando, fourth in rebounds and fifth for evaluation). The Blacks’ best average scorer was ultimately his replacement Mitch Poletti (14.1, which would place him in tenth place in the standings), but the other “senators” Begarin (11) and Vico also ended the regular season in double figures (10), while the other elements of the rotation shot between Pastore’s 6 and 8.7. Other black-green leaders: Poletti best in rebounding (7.8, virtual eighth place in the group), in fouls suffered (5.1, third) and in evaluation (18.5, second), while Begarin is the first assistman (4.5, sixth) and recoverer of balls (1.4, sixth), Galassi is the best shooter from two of his team (60%, eighth), Pastore from the arc (40%, sixteenth).
