L’S.Bernardo Cantù water is preparing for the last act of the championship: the final promotion against Trieste. The series, best of 5 games, will begin at the PalaFitLine in Desio tonight, Tuesday 4 June at 8.30pm. It will be repeated two days later, at 9pm on Thursday 6th, on the same parquet; before the transfer to Trieste for Race 3 scheduled for Monday 10th, again at 9pm.
THE OPPONENTS – Coach Jamion Christian has developed a game system that focuses heavily on outside shots, but at the same time relies on two towers in the middle of the area. The keys to the team were entrusted to the hands of Michele Ruzzier, a player who had already demonstrated his value in A1 and remained in the team in which he grew up despite the relegation. The point guard rose in level during the season and, after having already shone in the first phase, he was the protagonist of a postseason averaging 14.5 points and 6.7 assists. The one who did even better is Eli Brooks. The combo guard averages over 16 points, thanks also to a sensational 41% three-point shooting, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game. The fearsome department of red and white wingers is completed by winger Justin Reyes, the team’s true balancer. The former Varese player, absent in the only previous match of the season, produced averages of 14 points and 8 rebounds in the playoffs, also shining in his long-range shooting with an excellent 45%.
The Trieste quintet, which certainly doesn’t lack physicality even on the outside, can count on one of the highest pairs of big men in the A2. In the role of “four” Francesco Candussi stands out at 211 cm, averaging over 13 points in the playoffs. Closing the group of starters is center Giovanni Vildera, who uses his 205 cm to be the point of reference in the middle of the area. Role played with 9 rebounds captured per game and a scoring average close to double figures. The Trieste squad also relies on a solid bench. The sixth man is thirty-seven year old Ariel Filloy: who, in addition to twenty years of experience in Italian basketball, also averages more than 8 points. In addition to him, the wingers Gianluca Ferrero, formerly of Varese, and Leo Menalo, who arrived during the current season from Virtus Bologna, also know the top league well. The rotations are completed by two native players from Trieste such as point guard Stefano Bossi and guard and captain Lodovico De Angeli.
COACH CAGNARDI’S COMMENT – “It will be a long and physical match against a very strong team. We are two teams that are very similar and we will have to play with a knife between our teeth, because no one will take a step back. We’re starting this series in front of our fans, who will give us a lot of help, and we who go onto the pitch want to make this advantage count.”
INFO – Race 1 will be broadcast live on LNP Pass, while Race 2 and Race 3 will be broadcast live exclusively on RaiSport and RaiPlay. For each match, the radio commentary will be broadcast on the FM frequencies of Radio Cantù 89.600 (Lombardy) and on the radiocantu.com website.
