Baglietto plays against Aris Thessaloniki in the BKT EuroCup. Hubb: "The pitch is very hot, so we're calm and paying attention to detail."
The most difficult away game of their regular season in the BKT EuroCup. This is what Baglietto Derthona Tortona faces on the third day of the European competition, the match in Greece on the court of Aris Thessaloniki Betsson. Tomorrow at 7:00 PM Italian time (8:00 PM local time) at the Alexandrio Melathron, also known as Nick Galis Hall after the greatest player in Aris's history and an icon of European basketball, the black and white team will face the overwhelming favorite to win Group A and one of the most likely to win the cup. All this in front of over 5.000 spectators, one of the most passionate fan bases in Europe, which throughout its history has celebrated 10 national titles (the last in 1991), 8 Greek Cups, 1 Cup Winners' Cup, 1 Korac Cup, and 1 FIBA EuroCup Challenge with its team, in addition to numerous appearances in the then-European Champions Cup.
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport Mix and streamed on Now.
How do the two teams arrive?
Derthona is coming off a week in which they earned their first EuroCup win over Le Mans at the Nova Arena (89-83) and last Sunday's league defeat away to Reggio Emilia (89-83). Paul Eboua will travel to Thessaloniki with the team, but he remains unavailable after just yesterday resuming his gradual return to the team following the muscle injury that prevented him from making his season debut. Edoardo Di Meo also remains out.
Aris, coached by another Greek basketball legend in Vassilis Spanoulis, is 2-0 in the EuroCup. Both wins came by 13 points, the 87-74 win in their French opener against Le Mans and the 93-80 home win over San Pablo Burgos. Aris heads into the match against the Bianconeri on the back of a 30-point lead (88-58) against AEK Athens on Matchday 2 of the Greek Championship, where they suffered their only upset of the season, a surprising one, in their home opener at Karditzas (74-68). The roster is full of well-known names, recent acquaintances of the Italian league such as former Virtus Bologna player Matt Morgan (25 points with 6/9 from three with AEK), former Milan player Nenad Dimitrijevic (21+6 assists+8 fouls drawn with Burgos) and former Varese player Elijah Mitrou-Long, plus Antetokounmpo's two brothers, Thanasis and Kostas, and – among others – a big man with a fresh NBA past who is proving to be an important factor in the paint like Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
Declarations
Head coach Mario Fioretti: "We're playing against one of the best-equipped teams in this competition, on one of the hottest courts in Europe. As always, we'll compete and play our best game, aiming to further improve both individually and as a team. Aris has a roster with great size and athleticism; for this level, they have few weaknesses, which we'll need to exploit to the fullest. They're coming off a league match that confirmed their toughness on their home court . "
Baglietto's starting point guard, Prentiss Hubb, knows the Aris environment well, having played against them two seasons ago with AEK Athens: "We know Aris is a talented team with high expectations, but we believe in ourselves and what we're capable of as a group. For us, it's about coming out with the right mentality, playing together, and executing our game plan for 40 minutes. We have to be physical, maintain good offensive possessions, and pay attention to the small details that make the difference in games like this. We respect them, but we don't go into the game thinking about who's the favorite. We go into the game with the belief that we can compete with anyone and that we can win."
Having already played at their home court, I know firsthand how passionate their fans are and how challenging the atmosphere can be. It brings a lot of energy and is definitely one of those atmospheres you have to be ready for. For us, the most important thing is to stay calm, communicate with each other, and not let the crowd influence our play. We have to stay united, especially in those moments when Aris is playing well and the arena gets even louder. Personally, I enjoy playing in environments like this; it's part of what makes basketball special, and I think we have to embrace this challenge rather than avoid it.
