Bertram at the first home in the BCL Top 16: with Patras to forget the two away games at the beginning of the round. The words of Squarcina
After the two inaugural trips ended with regret both in Wurzburg and Athens on the AEK side, for Bertram Derthona Tortona the time has come for the home debut in its first Round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League. For the third and final day of the first leg of Group I, tomorrow at 20:30 at the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris in Casale Monferrato the black and white team faces the Greeks of Promitheas Patrasso Vikos Cola, the other team still at the pole of this mini-group of four. For both it is a sort of do or die to relaunch themselves towards the first two places in the standings, the only ones that ensure qualification for the quarterfinal series of the main European competition for FIBA clubs. Walter De Raffaele's team can count on the last two games at home that will follow the back-to-back next week in Patras, but a third defeat would greatly complicate their chances. Bertram arrives at the match reassured by the splendid away match in Trento against the Serie A leaders and Coppa Italia winners, who gave the Bianconeri a taste of success again with a record-breaking Justin Gorham with his 35 points, a new all-time high for a Derthona player in Serie A.
PATRAS: The Greek team has yet to end its losing streak, having fallen from fourth to sixth in the Greek league standings due to five consecutive defeats, the last of which came last Saturday at home to Kolossos Rhodes (89-85). Their two defeats in the Top 16 came in a decisive manner in the Greek derby at home to AEK Athens (97-76) and in a sprint home win against Wurzburg (77-79). The last victory for the Greek team coached by Ilias Papatheodorou, who features former Pistoia player Jordon Varnado, dates back to January 15th, the day of their 2-0 play-off victory that secured their continuation in the BCL by eliminating Turkish side Karsiyaka.
INFIRMARY: Bertram has returned from the victory in Trento feeling mentally reinvigorated, but certainly not physically. Both players left the Il T Quotidiano Arena early due to injury, and the presence of Christian Vital and Ismael Kamagate is highly doubtful; their conditions will be reevaluated closer to the match.
WHERE TO WATCH IT ON TV The race will be streamed live on DAZN.
STATEMENTS “We need to play a match with fewer ups and downs, putting in a performance that will help us reverse the trend in the Champions League and keep our hopes of qualifying alive ,” says assistant coach Iacopo Squarcina . "What we'll have to be good at is having a truly unique rhythm, one that ensures we can always build on the good work we've done during the game and never destroy the good things we've done, forcing ourselves to start over. Once we've found confidence by scoring and playing good defense, we'll have to continue building on that and grinding out the game without letting ourselves get caught up in negative moments. Patras ," he continues, " is certainly well-organized, and has a lot of talent among its Americans. I'm thinking of Jordan Walker (the team's top scorer both in the league, 17.2 points per game, and in the BCL, 20.0 but in just 4 games played), Jordan Davis, the returning Isaiah Reese, a shooter like Kenny Williams, Wes Iwundu, our Kuhse's teammate last year at Rasta Vechta, and above all an all-arounder like former Pistoia player Jordon Varnado, an intelligent and truly versatile player with great body and scoring ability. Their Greek players, especially Michalis Lountzis and the young Athanasios Bazinas, are players who bring a lot of intensity and know their roles. So it's a roster that has balance in all positions. Their weaknesses are that they're less physical than the other opponents we've been used to in this Champions League, meaning less protection of the rim with the big men and less pressure on the ball with the wingers, while also having less ability to run the court for forty minutes. They're a team that lets you play while also showing a lot of tactical thinking, as they change their play from game to game, preparing matches based on their opponents' characteristics. Qualification? That must be our goal. We'll have to be truly focused, play as a team to fight for every ball and bring home every win possible to advance to the next round. It's a strong desire that we'll try to achieve on the pitch and deserve it."
