Derthona seeks a hat-trick against Trento: "We'll have to manage the pace of the match."
Derthona Basket is preparing for its third match of the season, hosting Dolomiti Energia Trento at the BTS Arena on Sunday, October 19th at 16:00 PM – live on Sky Sport Basket (channel 205), streaming on NOW and on LBA TV – looking to complete a three-game winning streak in the league.
It will be a particularly special match for the coaches of the two teams, given that Mario Fioretti and Massimo Cancellieri shared six years of experience on the Olimpia Milano bench as assistant coaches to Luca Banchi, Jasmin Repesa, and Simone Pianigiani.
Furthermore, it will be a throwback match for three Derthona players who spent professional years in Trento: Paul Biligha and Prentiss Hubb were teammates at L'Aquila in 2023-24, while Andrea Pecchia played in Trentino last season, winning the Coppa Italia.
Prentiss Hubb is one of the exes of the day against Trento.
How do the two teams arrive?
Derthona Basket is back from its first historic home match in the new Arena in the Cittadella dello Sport; a memorable evening also for the result, given the 107-95 against Nutribullet Treviso Basket, which confirmed the excellent form of Mario Fioretti's team, which had conquered the Unipol Forum in its first championship match.
Ezra Manjon has had a particularly solid start to the season, averaging 15.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in his first two wins, as has his teammate Christian Vital, who has averaged 16.5 points and 4.0 assists per game. Dominik Olejniczak is also averaging 9.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Aquila Basket Trento has undergone many changes over the summer, including under coach Massimo Cancellieri, and is naturally seeking the right balance for this start of the season. Over the past week, they have suffered setbacks on the road, first on the court in Brescia (72-63) in the league and then in the BKT EuroCup against the London Lions (87-71).
At the same time, Trento had demonstrated its full offensive potential in the previous two outings in their respective competitions: in the league they had made their debut with a resounding 109-69 victory against Cantù, while in Europe they had won 107-96 in the Montenegrin away match against Buducnost after the 79-48 defeat at home against JL Bourg-en-Bresse.
Aquila Basket Trento under the microscope
As mentioned, with Paolo Galbiati's departure for Baskonia, the Trentino bench has been entrusted to Massimo Cancellieri, returning to Italy after his French experiences with Limoges and Strasbourg and, above all, reaching the FIBA Europe Cup final with PAOK in Greece.
On the court, there are plenty of new faces, starting with the American backcourt featuring DJ Steward (19.5 points and 4.5 assists on 42.9% from beyond the arc in his first two games of the season), in his first European experience, and DeVante' Jones (14.5 points, 3.5 steals, and 2.5 assists on 66.7% from two), arriving from Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. They are L'Aquila's most fearsome guns.
Massimo Cancellieri's Trento, above all, is a team that likes to run and play as many possessions as possible, giving opportunities to many young players. Among them are Cheickh Niang (10 points and 4 rebounds on average, born in 2008) and Patrick Hassan (7 points per game, born in 2007).
The center package composed of Selom Mawugbe (8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the first two games of the year in the LBA) and Jordan Baheye has been confirmed, in addition to the evergreen captain Toto Forray, Matas Jogela, Peyton Aldridge, Andrej Jakimovski and the 2006 class have also arrived in the shadow of the Dolomites Theo Airhienbuwa, all making their Serie A debuts.
The point of Iacopo Squarcina
The away match against Trento will be an opportunity to test Derthona's ambitions, ready to face a tough and atypical team, boasting both European experience and the enthusiasm of new faces in Italian basketball.
At the same time, as assistant coach Iacopo Squarcina says, the Lions are in good form, especially psychologically. "The group continues to progress, demonstrating mental consistency even during training. They're a team that doesn't relax, that doesn't settle. The most positive thing is that everyone is pulling in the same direction and no one is backing down," he says.
What can we expect from a tactical standpoint? "Trento is a team that wants to play at a very high pace, and tries to run a lot after scoring. It will be important to manage the pace and rhythm of the game, not let them get too excited or be surprised by their athleticism," adds Squarcina.
Looking back at the last game, rebounding will be crucial to avoid conceding too many double chances. In the last game, we made several defensive errors, but in crucial moments, we managed to remove Treviso's key players, like Ragland and Stephens, who had made us suffer in the first half. We'll need to apply ourselves in this regard again against Trento.
Iacopo Squarcina with Mario Fioretti during the home debut.
Beyond the results, the integration of the new arrivals this summer is positive, and they're already feeling comfortable. "The fact that the group is healthy means that Dominik [Olejniczak] and Ezra [Manjon] feel like they've been here for a year, and everyone else is integrating really well, including someone like Joonas, who arrived late after playing in EuroBasket. Everyone feels important, everyone knows what they have to do, and everyone contributes," he says.
“Brekkott [Chapman] could be a surprise to many. He's a little behind in terms of fitness right now because he joined us later, but in terms of basketball knowledge and quality, he could be a surprise; he just needs a little bit of running in.”
Prentiss Hubb is struggling a little more, even though he's still the team's leading passer in terms of numbers (5.5 assists per game between Milan and Treviso). "Prentiss has shown some good things. Right now, he's just needing a little more patience to bring together his offensive skills, which are excellent both as a creator and a scorer," says Squarcina.
"As soon as he can find this balance and the pace of play that best suits him, given that his physical preparation has just ended and the loads have been significant, he could be a great asset. Personally, I think he can become one of the best point guards in the league."
(PHOTO CREDIT: Ciamillo-Castoria Agency)
