A few days ago the clock phase of the Serie A2 Old Wild West championship ended, with theAssigeco Piacenza which for the third consecutive year managed to get through to the playoffs despite the fierce competition from the fearsome red group. At the beginning of March the red and white had to deal with the serious injury suffered by the American Malcolm Miller, which put an end to his season, but without giving up and with the usual stubbornness and aggression that distinguishes them they were able to achieve five successes in the last six outings, reaching eighth place in the standings, with an overall record of sixteen victories and sixteen defeats which allowed him to earn a difficult but stimulating first round of the playoffs against the Trapani Shark.
Once again the growth of the young group of athletes over the year has been exponential, and the sporting director Alessandro Pagani he can only say he is satisfied with the goal achieved, even if he is aware that the best is yet to come: “This year the playoffs were our objective for two reasons: to give continuity to the last two years and for the fact that this year they guaranteed survival , therefore this achievement makes us proud and proud also because for us we are a club that until three years ago had never made the playoffs in Serie A2. Having reached the postseason for three years in a row, including a semi-final, is giving recognition to our beautiful project with coach Salieri at the helm and with many young guys who are demonstrating their value. For the club and its President it is truly a pride to have reached the playoffs, a goal that is anything but simple on paper, even if obviously the work is not yet finished.”
Is the fact of having reached this goal in a truly difficult group like the red one a reason for further satisfaction? “Absolutely yes, the numbers prove it. The red group was decidedly superior in terms of team quality compared to the green group. I feel sorry for Orzinuovi, who with twenty points had to be relegated when in the other group they would have been ninth, two points away from the playoffs. The red group was truly competitive, there were no easy matches and no missteps were allowed. We were good, apart from a slight decline in the month of January where we faced all the top teams, in maintaining an excellent level of continuity and making a leap in quality in the watch phase, arriving in form at a decisive moment of the season and also making up for some injuries with the strength of the group. For this, credit goes to both coach Salieri and the athletic and healthcare staff, who were perfect throughout the season.”
With the playoffs still in the balance at the time, what are the reasons that pushed the club not to intervene in the transfer market after Malcolm Miller’s serious injury? “The motivation once you reach the playoffs is very high, because the boys still want to impress and I am convinced that we will give our best for the postseason. After Miller’s injury, which coincidentally occurred during the away match against Trapani last March 3rd, we initially evaluated the community market (the transfer window closed on April 5th), however not finding an ideal profile and not wanting to go on crazy shopping sprees ( Assigeco is one of the three teams that did not make any moves on the market throughout the year), speaking with the club we decided to give maximum trust to the group of Italians, as well as Skeens, to try to reach the goal , and everyone responded by adding an extra piece every game. Applause must certainly be given to Michele Serpilli, who played at a very high level for a period of time, but Filoni himself also improved his performance considerably. Everyone from first to last brought greater enthusiasm and energy, up to our unders Matteo Gherardini, Milos Joksimovic, Umberto Manzo and Yordany Angarica, who helped us keep the intensity of training high.”
For these playoffs, a prohibitive first round awaits you against the battleship Trapani Shark. Could your serenity and the strength of the group be the right weapons to attempt what would be a historic undertaking? “On paper, Trapani is the worst opponent we could have faced, as demonstrated by the numbers and the incredible season they have had, they are a group built to go to Serie A. In sport, however, we must never give up: we will go to Trapani with the awareness of playing it and with the desire to show all our value, with the mental lightness of knowing that we have nothing to lose. Then when the series moves to Piacenza we will be able to count on the push of the public who will support us in this great battle that we would like to honor in the best possible way.”
Reaching the playoffs is not the only story with a happy ending in recent weeks. Assigeco Piacenza is in fact the only club in the second national category to have its own training team Under 19 Excellence qualified to national finals of Chiusi-Chianciano Terme, scheduled for next April 29th: “If on the one hand the playoffs fill us with pride, reaching the national finals of the Under 19 Excellence category is an incredible goal, achieved with a group that very few at the beginning of the year they were a winner. Thanks to the daily work of coach Beto Manzo and his assistant Facundo Bereziartua, assisted by the athletic trainer Emanuele Arensi, the boys did something magical and astonishing, arriving in the top four of the Lombard-Emilian group, and then winning the interzone thanks to a stratospheric victory in the final against Cantù. These guys have given themselves a dream, and I am convinced that they will give us more satisfaction.”
