Baglietto is looking to surprise undefeated Hapoel Jerusalem in the BKT EuroCup: "It'll be tough, but we'll approach it with enthusiasm."
From one league leader to another. After their victory over Treviso in the Italian championship, Derthona Basket will also host a top-seeded team in the seventh round of the BKT EuroCup. Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 11, at 7:30 PM at the Nova Arena, Baglietto Derthona Tortona will face Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem, the only team in the group to have yet to suffer a defeat, along with Napoli Basketball. The Israelis have had a flawless run so far in their national championship as well, where with 5 wins out of 5 they lead the standings alone, with a season total of 11 wins and 0 losses.
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport Mix and streamed on Now.
How do the two teams arrive?
Buoyed by last Sunday's impressive win against Treviso, Mario Fioretti's team, on the other hand, is coming off a bitter overtime defeat in Ljubljana. The defeat in Slovenia, however, hasn't affected their playoff position in Group A, where they are tied for third with six points, tied with Le Mans and Riga Zelli. In the match against the Israelis, there's great anticipation for Christian Vital's second career debut in the black and white jersey. The American striker recently returned to Derthona after leaving last summer following his two seasons at Tortona.
Hapoel Jerusalem has double the points in the standings as Baglietto, thanks to six relatively comfortable wins so far, with the exception of a dramatic 84-85 victory on the field in Burgos on Matchday 3. Last round, the team led by Serbian coach Sasha Obradovic—former coach of Alba Berlin, Monaco, and Red Star Belgrade, among others, and a former player in Italy at Virtus Roma—won a top-seeded playoff against Aris Thessaloniki, beating them 84-73 at the Ranko Zeravica Arena in Belgrade, the Israelis' current home ground, with Kenny Lofton scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds and Shake Milton adding 19 points. Lofton, a 198 cm tall big man born in 2002 with a distinguished NCAA history and a few notable NBA appearances, including a 42-14 performance with the Memphis Grizzlies in April 2023, is playing like a EuroCup MVP contender, averaging 19.3 points (5th overall), 7.3 rebounds (3rd), and a 22.0 rating (6rd) per game. The Italian roster also includes three veterans of the Italian league: former Milan player Lorenzo Brown and former Virtus Bologna players Jaleen Smith and Devontae Cacok.
Previous history with Israelis
This is the first time in its history that Derthona has faced an Israeli team.
Declarations
Mario Fioretti: " We want to build on Sunday's league match against Treviso by playing 40 minutes with great concentration and intensity. We're playing against one of the four strongest teams in Europe outside of the Euroleague, with a full roster at every position. We know how tough it will be, but we're approaching it with enthusiasm and positivity ," said the Tortona head coach.
Paul Eboua: "To win, we'll have to make fewer mistakes than Hapoel, be very aggressive on the rebounds, and then be able to score easy baskets in transition. Defensively, we need to work hard on the pick-and-roll, the low post, and communicate well with each other ," says the Baglietto center.
To continue the improvements we showed in last Sunday's league game against Treviso, we need to stay focused and connected for the entire 40 minutes, move the ball more, play more together, and, as mentioned before, try to run more to find easier baskets. All of this will give the team the right energy and pace.
Access control measures at the Nova Arena. Derthona Basket reminds all spectators, including pass holders of various types, that stewards will check their ID upon entry. Any identity document that matches the name on the ticket will be denied entry to the arena. To facilitate the smooth flow of spectators at the Nova Arena, the turnstiles will be opened two hours before the start of the game, at 17:30 PM.
Shuttles: As with every Derthona home game, free shuttles will be available to make it easier to reach the Cittadella dello Sport from the Tortona city center. For the outward journey, shuttles, scheduled from the Movicentro adjacent to the train station, will depart as usual two hours before the match, at 17:30 PM, with departures every twenty minutes. The last departure is scheduled for 19:30 PM. They will stop in Piazza Allende (Corso Cavour side) before reaching the Tortona stadium. For the return journey, following the reverse route, shuttles will depart from the Cittadella at 21:30 PM, with the last departure scheduled for 22:30 PM, again every twenty minutes.
(PHOTOCREDIT: EUROCUP)
