The years 2009-2014
Thanks to the friendship between Marco Ghisolfi, historic supporter of Tortona society and the legendary Petar Naumoski, the highly decorated Macedonian closed his glorious career with the Derthona shirt in the 2008-09 season, dragging Tortona to Serie C1. It will be the flame that rekindles an entire city's enthusiasm for basketball.
Appetite comes with eating and with Marco Picchi supporting Luigino in the chair, they attempt to climb to the top levels of basketball. In 2009-10, however, excellent arrivals were not enough such as: the sacred monster Orsini, the young promise Della Valle and the various Zunino, Di Gioia and Magnone.
Meanwhile the movement is growing behind, the effect of the long Naumoski wave: the Under 19 team, having returned to Excellence level, conquers none other than Varese and the Under 14 team are Regional Champions led by the trio Dario Gay-Gatti-Tava who also shine at the national 3v3 level.
In 2010-11 the senior formation finds a new structure with the inclusion of the Degrada-Pavone duo and the launch of Under Gatti-Taverna, but it is still not enough for the leap in quality. What was missing was the adequate direction that was found the following year with Arioli on the bench and Quaroni on the pitch with the vital support of the factotum Leone Gioria, a name, a destiny!
While the boys of '99, Regional Champions with the Under 13s, thrive in the youth team, the "music becomes beautiful" with the historic promotion to Serie B after three unforgettable final matches. The heroes are the various Quaroni, Degrada, Gioria, Pavone, Gatti, Ganguzza but also an incredible audience, capable of redeeming the disappointment of Novara to cut the retina in the beautiful one at PalaCamagna.
Derthona still believes in it too 2012-13 with Samoggia's class helping out under the basket. In a group that takes us to the border with Slovenia, the Bianconeri only surrender to the Brescian senators of Monticelli. But the machine is now launched, also driven by the inexhaustible energy of the young people who, galvanized by the visit of Cimberio Varese, obtain another title with the Under 15s and reopen the summer camp.
2014, 30 years after Carpi, the roads of Emilia Romagna still lead well to Derthona. That it is the right year is immediately clear with the victory over the legendary Fortitudo in a PalaCamagna attacked by the Bolognese Fossa dei Leoni. But even more incredible will be the victory in the return leg in front of the 5000 at PalaDozza and so on until the final won against Piacenza to close in Romagna in the play-offs in Cervia against a Legnano team where Derthona put on a show! It seems like a dream, we are in A2 Silver!!
Texts taken from the book “HEART OF A LION: fifty years of basketball in Tortona” by Roberto Gabatelli – 2008
