IBSA Next Gen Cup 2023/24. The official guide: all the information on the 16 protagonist teams
THEIBSA Next Gen Cup 2023/24 will kick off Varese, home to the first concentration of the group stage. The 16 teams Under 19 of the clubs of Serie A UnipolSai they will face each other betweenItelyum Arena and Campus from the October 30 to the November 1 for the first three days of this first phase; the remaining four rounds they will dispute from 26 to 29 December in Biella in the historic Pala Pajetta and the more recent Biella Forum.
The 16 teams have been divided into two groups of eight teams each and will move on to the Final Eight in Trento with direct elimination matches (22-23-24 February 2024 at T Quotidiano Arena) the top four teams in their respective groups.
All matches will be visible in streaming on the LBA website legabasket.it
This new edition of the IBSA Next Gen Cup will include the group stage and the final stage following technical innovations:
- After a violation in the defensive half of the pitch, the referees must not give the ball to the team entitled to the throw-in.
- From the sixth foul onwards, in a quarter of the game, the team that has suffered the foul, if not shooting, will be awarded a point and granted a free throw.
- The rule of alternating possession is eliminated, providing that every contested ball is administered with a jump ball.
- If after a free throw the team that returns to defense, in the case in which it presses full court and recovers the ball in the first half of the court, scores a basket in the possession generated by the recovery, this basket will be worth 1 more point.
- The interval between the second and third quarters will be 5 minutes.
In the final phase only, however, the following modification is foreseen:
- At the first dead ball, with less than 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter, a "Target Score" of the game will be identified by adding 8 points to the team that has scored the highest score at that moment. The new score will become the objective for both teams to reach or exceed to win the match. Furthermore, from that moment on, the remaining time of the match will be reset to zero and only shot clocks will be used.
Below the calendar of the first concentration in Varese.
CALENDAR AND TIMES
MONDAY OCTOBER 30
GROUP A
ITELYUM ARENA
12.00 CARPEGNA HAM PAPALINI PESARO – GEVI NAPLES BASKETBALL
14.00 PM EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILAN – VIRTUS EMIL BANCA BOLOGNA
18.00 PM VARESE BASKETBALL – ALLIANZ DERTHONA BASKET
CAMPUS
15.30 PM VANOLI BASKET CREMONA – ACADEMY SCAFATI BASKET
GROUP B
ITELYUM ARENA
16.00 PM EXTRA PISTOIA – HAPPY CASA BRINDISI
CAMPUS
11.30 AM NUTRIBULLET TREVISO BASKETBALL – BANCO DI SARDEGNA SASSARI
13.30 PM UMANA REYER VENICE – DOLOMITI ENERGIA TRENTINO
17.30 PM UNAHOTELS REGGIO EMILIA – POLLINI BRESCIA
TUESDAY 31 OCTOBER
GROUP A
ITELYUM ARENA
18.00 PM GEVI NAPLES BASKETBALL – VARESE BASKETBALL
CAMPUS
11.30 AM VIRTUS EMIL BANCA BOLOGNA – ACADEMY SCAFATI BASKET
13.30 PM ALLIANZ DERTHONA BASKETBALL – VANOLI BASKETBALL CREMONA
15.30 PM CARPEGNA HAM PAPALINI PESARO – EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILAN
GROUP B
ITELYUM ARENA
12.00 POLLINI BRESCIA – DOLOMITI ENERGIA TRENTINO
14.00 PM NUTRIBULLET TREVISO BASKETBALL – UNAHOTELS REGGIO EMILIA
16.00 PM HAPPY CASA BRINDISI – BANCO DI SARDEGNA SASSARI
CAMPUS
17.30 PM EXTRA PISTOIA – UMANA REYER VENICE
WEDNESDAY 1ST NOVEMBER
GROUP A
ITELYUM ARENA
09.30 AM ACADEMY SCAFATI BASKETBALL – CARPEGNA PROSCIUTTO PAPALINI PESARO
13.30 PM ALLIANZ DERTHONA BASKETBALL – VIRTUS EMIL BANCA BOLOGNA
15.30 PM VARESE BASKETBALL – VANOLI BASKET CREMONA
CAMPUS
11.00 AM EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILAN – GEVI NAPLES BASKETBALL
GROUP B
ITELYUM ARENA
11.30 AM UMANA REYER VENICE – NUTRIBULLET TREVISO BASKETBALL
CAMPUS
09.00 HAPPY HOME BRINDISI – UNAHOTELS REGGIO EMILIA
13.00 PM DOLOMITI ENERGIA TRENTINO – ESTRA PISTOIA
15.00 PM BANCO DI SARDEGNA SASSARI – POLLINI BRESCIA
GROUP A
SCAFATI BASKET ACADEMY
Having lost the protagonists of the previous edition, Scafati will try to make his way into the competition by trying to outmaneuver the favourites, including the last two winners Pesaro and Varese. Leading the team will be Emanuele Morvillo – small forward who took on the role of vocal leader after the farewell of Emanuele Caiazza – and point guards Matteo Cavaliere and Pierfrancesco Sangiovanni, players with lots of points in their hands and verve from the dribble.
ALLIANZ DERTHONA TORTONA
Great ambitions for the team coached by Luca Ansaloni who has a deep roster and has the aim of establishing itself and being more than a simple surprise. In addition to the already consolidated quartet composed of Lamine Tandia, Gloris Tambwe, Lorenzo Baldi and Nicholas Errica (already joined to the first team), the arrival of Stefano Conte, the constant growth of Bruno Farias and the loan from Orange1 Bassano of Timoty Van Der Knaap rightfully put Tortona among the favorites in Group A.
CARPEGNA HAM PAPALINI BASKET PESARO
Never change a winning team. The reigning champions want to repeat the success achieved in the spring by relying on the duo formed by Umberto Stazzonelli and Octavio Maretto, already involved in the first team rotations and among the clearest talents in youth basketball. The loan of Adriano Bazan from College Borgomanero and the dribbling talent of Elia Sgarzini will serve to make the Marche attack a real unsolvable puzzle for the opposing defenses.
EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILAN
Coach Michele Catalani has a deep squad in his hands with which to aim for the final victory and register the name of the club among the winners of the IBSA Next Gen Cup. The centimeters of Leonardo Van Elswik and Luigi Suigo, the plays of Diego Garavagia, the explosiveness near the rim of Francesco Ferrari (coming from College Borgomanero), all guided by the leadership of a "veteran" like Samuele Miccoli, are what make EA7 Emporio Armani Milano one of the most dangerous and talented teams in the competition.
GEVI NAPLES BASKETBALL
Candidate as a possible revelation team, the Neapolitan team aims to enter the best four of Group A by bringing an interesting and varied group to Varese. Under the boards, the Moussa Bamba – Ivan Druzhielibov duo combines athleticism and physicality that few others can boast; while the relay between playmakers Stefano Saccoccia and Simone Sinagra will be able to change the pace of the game at will. Not to forget a pure scorer like Sreten Coralic and College Borgomanero loanee Giacomo Zanetti, a strong forward capable on both sides of the pitch.
VARESE BASKETBALL
The hosts have the main objective of going through and aiming for the Final Eight in Trento. Led by the talent of Wei Lun Zhao, the Varese players will focus on the ideas of Edoardo Bottelli and the skills of Elise Assui as a 3&D player to put the opposing defenses in difficulty while simultaneously adding substance to their own defensive phase. There will also be the opportunity to see the Scola Rocchetti brothers (Tiago and Thomas) at work together with the other two Argentinians Joaquin Mauro Villa and Santino Ivan Prato.
VANOLI CREMONA
Another possible surprise in this Group A is the team trained by coach Carlo Campigotto, who will try to assert himself in a predominantly Lombard group. The very long Tiefing Diawara has arrived from Orange1 Bassano - already seen in this competition with the Cremonese - who will use his leverage to guard the paint and will be Vanoli's third offensive option; Emils Ivanovskis and Filippo Galli will be responsible for creating the greatest number of dangers while also opening spaces for their teammates.
VIRTUS EMIL BANCA BOLOGNA
The Bologna team, under the orders of coach Tommaso Menichetti, will try to impose themselves with a roster almost entirely "home-made". Leading the group is undoubtedly the flourishing talent of Matteo Accorsi who will be promptly supported by Lorenzo Baruffaldi, both triggered by the playmaker Matteo Baiocchi. In the role of winger and vocal leader there will be Mattia Guidotti, one of the most experienced elements of the Bolognese group.
GROUP B
BANK OF SARDINIA SASSARI
After narrowly missing out on the direct elimination phase last year, the islanders will try to get back into the top four by going head-to-head with other battleships in the group. Riccardo Pisano – "veteran" of the event, lethal from beyond the arc and already seen with the greats – is the designated leader of the Sardinians, who will also rely on the scoring qualities of Alessandro Dore and the determination of Enrico Casu to win more points possible. Under the knife, all eyes are on the Senegalese Assane Sankare on loan from Vis Ferrara.
DOLOMITES ENERGY TRENTINO
The first winners of the Next Gen Cup in 2019 want to assert themselves again by mixing the usual consolidated group with a core made up of new faces. The ball of the game is always in the hands of the versatile and talented winger Lorenzo Zangheri, who will be supported by the athleticism of Saliou Niang and Mahamadou Diarra under both boards. All three have already joined the first team. Among the new players, Thomas Acunzo, born in 2008, stands out, a 203cm winger who moved to Trentino this summer.
EXTRA PISTOIA
A novelty compared to the latest editions of the competition is certainly the presence of the Tuscan team. The boys, led by coach Cristiano Biagini, will try to put a spanner in the works of more equipped teams, letting themselves be led mainly by captain Mattia Farinon. The Baltic pair of play/center Tormi Joonatan Metlsa-Kristers Skrinda will be the subject of attention in this first concentration, as will the athletic Africans born in 2005 David Samuel Kpadevi and Mamadu Dembele.
HAPPY HOME BRINDISI
At the court of coach Gianfranco Patera, the Apulians present themselves with an almost entirely new group compared to that of the last edition. On loan from Orange1 Bassano, Prince Atamah will have full freedom to occupy the two positions with his muscles, while in the offensive phase the playmaker Niccolò Malaventura and the more experienced Cristiano Greco will be responsible for the team's transition.
NUTRIBULLET TREVISO BASKETBALL
The narrow defeat in the final in the last edition of the IBSA Next Gen Cup and the "farewells" of the Leonardo Faggian-Enrico Vettori duo force the Treviso team to want to reclaim their place as favorites in Group B. However, coach Mirko Saccardo can rely on those has experience in the first team like the winger David Torresani and the center coach Francesco Scandiuzzi, who with the intelligent winger Enrico Tadiotto and the scoring verve from the bench of Alberto Pellizzari form the so-called evergreen quartet with which the vice-champions have always presented at the event.
POLLINI BRESCIA
Those aiming for the top of Group B are certainly the team coached by Gianpaolo Alberti, who finds himself having to deal with a deep and highly talented roster. The well-known faces of winger Matteo Porto and point guard Nicolas Tanfoglio will bring the lessons learned in the first team to their teammates by acting as co-leaders of the group. Alberto Reghenzi's growth on both sides of the pitch will be useful as a plus in the ongoing match, as will the versatility of Czech Daniel Sertic; there is also great anticipation for the debut of the Italian René D'Amelio, on loan from College Borgomanero.
HUMAN REYER VENICE
Another big favorite in the group is the Venetian team, winner of the 2019/20 edition and always full of talents to keep an eye on. Pietro Iannuzzi, born in 2006, is the most dangerous all-round offensive weapon of the Orogranata team, who also find in Andrea Gattel an element of substance to hit from beyond the arc and in transition, given his long leverage. The pick and roll between the great passer Francesco Barbero and the concrete Lorenzo Vanin is one of the most popular solutions for the lagoon players and one to which the opponents will have to be very careful.
UNAHOTELS REGGIO EMILIA
The Reggio Emilia team aims to qualify for the next phase by playing its cards above all by exploiting the quality under the knife. Given the exponential growth of Mouhamed Faye and the presence of the athletic Giovanni Camara in the first team, coach Andrea Menozzi can choose to grant them a relay with Mame Samba Deme El Hadji and Tommaso Pastorelli. The one who will have the chance to light up by putting himself and his teammates in rhythm is undoubtedly the Bosnian Imran Suljanovic, in great form during the last edition especially with his shot from outside.
