IBSA Next Gen Cup 2024/25: the new adventure of the reigning vice-champion Allianz Derthona begins in Varese. The words of Coffano and coach Ansaloni
It's the eve of the first of two qualifying rounds for the 2024/25 IBSA Next Gen Cup for Allianz Derthona Tortona . Coming off last season's impressive run, where they lost in the final against EA7 Emporio Armani Milano, the team coached by Luca Ansaloni will resume play in Varese with a four-day tournament scheduled from Thursday, November 21st to Sunday, November 24th, in the Legabasket tournament reserved for the Under 19 Eccellenza teams of the sixteen Serie A clubs.
THE OPPONENTS The Bianconeri Lions are placed in Group A together with Academy Scafati Basket, Dolomiti Energia Trentino, Estra Pistoia, Napolibasket, Vanoli Cremona, Virtus EmilBanca Bologna and the home team Pallacanestro Varese . Group B features Banco di Sardegna Sassari, Nutribullet Treviso, Pallacanestro Trieste, Pollini Brescia, Trapani Shark, Umana Reyer Venezia, UNAHOTELS Reggio Emilia and the reigning champions Milan. This year, the sixteen teams will once again take to the courts of the Itelyum Arena in Masnago and the Campus on Via Pirandello in the first Varese meeting, where the matches have been divided. For Tortona, the matches will begin with tomorrow's match at 4:00 PM against Estra Pistoia.
FORMULA: The top four teams from each group that are eliminated at the end of the two qualifying stages will qualify for the Final Eight, scheduled for Brescia from February 21 to 23, 2025. The second qualifying stage will take place from January 2 to 4 in Rimini. The Final Eight will consist of a double-elimination quarterfinal, followed by the semifinals and the title game.
NEW: This edition of the IBSA Next Gen Cup will also serve as a testing ground, according to the organizers' intentions. Some technical rules added last year have remained unchanged, regarding achieving the bonus on the sixth team foul, with a 1-point bonus awarded to the opposing team in addition to a free throw; the elimination of alternating possession with contests administered with a jump ball; the 5-minute halftime period between the second and third quarters; and the Target Score, the latter in effect in the Final Eight. These are the new rules: under the bonus system, a foul on a shooting play and a missed shot will result in a 1-point bonus plus a free throw; a foul on a shooting play and a successful shot will result in a valid basket and a 1-point bonus without an additional free throw; an unsportsmanlike foul will result in a 1-point bonus plus a free throw and a throw-in; elimination of the bonus point rule in the event that a team, by pressing full-court and recovering the ball in the opponent's half, scores a basket in the possession generated by the recovery.
WORKSHOP The event will continue to include educational activities for players and, as a new addition, for staff, led by A Better Basketball . It begins on Friday the 22nd with a workshop dedicated to teams, featuring speakers Stefano Bossi , a Serie A player for Pall. Trieste, former player Tommaso Marino , and Elena Boschiroli from the Orientation Department of Umana SpA. The evening of Saturday the 23rd will be dedicated to the clubs' technical, managerial, athletic, and medical staff, featuring Jacopo Tognon , a lawyer and professor of Sports Policies and Integrity and Sports Law at the University of Padua.
STATEMENTS Derthona Basket Youth Sector President Claudio Coffano : "Compared to previous seasons, we're starting this year with much more experience. Last season, we had a fantastic run, but now we're starting with the need to test the team against the other youth teams in Serie A, putting in maximum effort in every match. After the first round in Varese, we'll have a clearer picture of our capabilities and potential. On paper, Trento seems like the most formidable of the teams we'll face in the initial phase, but we're confident in ourselves and are definitely aiming to qualify for the final phase."
Luca Ansaloni , Allianz head coach: “We're ready for our fourth edition of the Next Gen, an exciting opportunity, especially for the kids. It's a fantastic experience, filled with great excitement and anticipation, including media coverage. From an organizational and technical standpoint, with only one loan player available to each team, the tournament promises to be very challenging. It will certainly be challenging for everyone, including the staff, to face so many close matches against top-level teams we don't usually face in our league. It's an unmissable event, and we hope to make the most of it, striving to give our best, especially in terms of sporting performances.”
MEDIA All the Varese concentration games will be streamed live on the official Legabasket website, on the Italhoop YouTube channel and, some, also on the Italbasket Twitch channel.
ROSTER This is the Allianz Derthona roster and staff for the Varese stage:
Bruno Farias (180 cm, 2006, play)
Davide Borasi (193 cm, 2007, wing)
Armin Korlatovic (202 cm, 2007, center)
Tommaso Diodati (195 cm, 2006, wing)
Andrija Josovic (202 cm, 2006, wing)
Werther Bellinaso (194 cm, 2008, guard)
Gabriele Fonio Fracchia (188 cm, 2007, guard)
Marco Fogliato (196 cm, 2007, guard)
Oumane Cherif Cissè (201 cm, 2006, center)
Emilio Albertinazzi (187 cm, 2007, guard)
Edoardo Aprile (192 cm, 2005, guard)
Giacomo Brizzi (202 cm, 2006, wing)
Pietro Lisini (197 cm, 2005, wing)
Adriano Bazan (192 cm, 2006, guard)
Head Coach: Luca Ansaloni
Assistants: Andrea Fanaletti, Giulio Lombardi
Athletic trainer: Marco Paccioni
Physiotherapist: Andrea Cacciatore
Accompanying manager: Diego Manassero
CALENDAR Below are all the Group A matches in the Varese concentration:
Thursday 21th of November
14:00 pm (Itelyum Arena): Virtus EmilBanca Bologna – Dolomiti Energia Trentino
16:00 pm (Itelyum Arena): Estra Pistoia – Allianz Derthona Tortona
18:00 pm (Itelyum Arena): Napolibasket – Vanoli Cremona
20:00 pm (Itelyum Arena): Pall. Varese – Academy Scafati Basket
Friday 22 November
11:30 am (Campus): Dolomiti Energia Trentino – Vanoli Cremona
13pm (Campus): Allianz Derthona Tortona – Napolibasket
15:30 pm (Campus): Scafati Basket Academy – Estra Pistoia
18:00 pm (Itelyum Arena): Pall. Varese – Virtus EmilBanca Bologna
Saturday November 23
12:00 (Itelyum Arena): Estra Pistoia – Napolibasket
13:30 pm (Campus): Dolomiti Energia Trentino – Academy Scafati Basket
15:30 pm (Campus): Vanoli Cremona – Virtus EmilBanca Bologna
18:00 pm (Itelyum Arena): Allianz Derthona Tortona – Pall. Varese
Sunday November 24
09:00 (Campus): Academy Scafati Basket – Napolibasket
11:00 am (Campus): Virtus EmilBanca Bologna – Allianz Derthona Tortona
13:00 pm (Campus): Vanoli Cremona – Estra Pistoia
15:30 pm (Itelyum Arena): Varese Pall. – Dolomiti Energia Trentino
