My Derthona Basket: Mattia Algeri tells his story
The passion for basketball born as a boy, the love for the black and white of Derthona Basket which has blossomed ever since ʺAt the age of 9 I started playing basketball. I was shy - he says Mattia Algeri, 34 years old, currently a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at the Bambin Gesù Hospital in Rome - and my parents took me to Derthona: from there a passion for this sport was born which is still very much alive despite the fact that I no longer play.
After taking his first steps, Mattia's interest and involvement in basketball grew over time. The youth teams in which he played were made up of a group of friends and, consequently, the results did not take long to arrive. It is Algiers himself who opens his book of memories to talk about some anecdotes to which he is linked: ʺI got the best satisfaction from the youth team, winning the regional championship twice and going to play in the Eccellenza finals. I remember as if it were yesterday a match in which I played very well: on that occasion we won the regional championship and, although that title has a relative value, I am very fond of it because it was the success of a group of friends who are still in contact today between them.
After having completed the entire process in the youth teams of Derthona Basket and ʺhaving tried to start the journey in the first teamʺ, the time has come for Algiers to decide what the future would be on a professional level. The choice of the academic path, and the consequent work opportunities that he would have proposed, was not difficult for Mattia, who remembers how ʺWhen I chose what I wanted to do when I grew up, I thought it would be nice to do something useful for others. In particular I liked the idea of helping seriously ill children; I am happy to have managed to complete this journey even if initially it was difficult to leave a city like Tortona, which I am very fond of and where I return when possible..
His professional and life choices have therefore distanced Algiers from playing basketball and from Tortona, but the experience he had in Derthona Basket was also useful to him in the world of work. Mattia tells the story again ʺthe team concept is fundamental to achieving great goals. It is important that there are well-defined roles but everyone must know how to make their own contribution to the cause. This is something that, in a small way, I learned while playing basketball thanks to the teachings of my coaches. Likewise, even in our medical team it is important that, regardless of role, everyone contributes to the good of the team..
The geographical distance from Tortona, however, has never prevented Algiers from following the events and results of Derthona, on which he updates himself every week thanks to ʺThe Internet, which allows me to follow the matches from home. Although when I return to the city I try to always be present at PalaOltrepoʺ. Last season was unforgettable for Bertram, capable of winning the Italian Cup at the end of three matches - including the final - conducted in an authoritative manner. A real triumph for the team and for the city that Mattia followed from Rome, remotely: ʺI watched the first two matches from home, then when the final was reached I thought about doing the crazy thing of going from Rome to Jesi but unfortunately I wouldn't have been able to return to Rome in time on Monday to go to work. That victory was the culmination of a dream and a journey, it was very nice to see so many happy friends in the stands..
The conquest of the Italian Cup was an important step in the growth of the team, which wants to establish itself as a solid reality in the Italian basketball scene. In this sense, the presentation of the Cittadella dello Sport project, which also includes the construction of the new arena, constitutes a further incentive to achieve present and future objectives. With a future that ʺI hope it is exciting and can bring Derthona to Serie A – continues Algiers – also because the sports project is very important. I am confident that these great goals can be achieved because I know the environment and the people who work in Derthona Basketʺ.
