Challenge to the leaders
It is one of the most anticipated events of the season for the fans of the two teams, for the existing rivalry and for the emotions and sprint finishes that it has been able to provide in recent years. Junior Casale-Bertram Derthona is the Derby of the province, the challenge between two sporting excellences who have achieved prestigious results (the playoff final in 2017/18 and a series of high-level years in Monferrato, the 2018 Italian Cup and the LNP Super Cup 2019 Old Wild West the Bianconeri) in the Serie A2 championship.
The challenge to the team coached by Mattia Ferrari, current leaders of the West Group with a record of five victories (consecutive) and only one defeat (according to the opening match of the tournament on the pitch in Agrigento), closes the cycle of close Piedmontese derbies played by the team coached by Marco Ramondino, who has already challenged Turin - at the PalaOltrepò - and Biella, at the Hype Forum in the first midweek round of the 2019/20 season. The appointment is therefore set for 18.00 pm on Sunday 10 November 2019 at the PalaFerraris in Casale Monferrato.
Tomorrow's match will unite the two teams, and the entire province, in the memory of Marco Triches, Matteo Gastaldo and Antonio Candido, the three firefighters who disappeared following the explosion that occurred in Quargnento on the night of November 5th. Before the match, a minute of silence will be observed in their memory: it is a gesture of closeness and respect for the victims and for the Provincial Command of the Fire Brigade of Alessandria, where Marco, Matteo and Antonio were on duty.
JUNIOR CASALE, THE LEADING LIST – Novipiù arrives at the Provincial Derby in excellent shape and on the wave of enthusiasm from a truly brilliant start to the championship. The sprint success against Eurobasket Roma, in the second round of Serie A2 Old Wild West, opened the streak of victories for the rossoblu, who entered the 2019/20 season on the strength of the technical continuity given by the confirmation of the coach Mattia Ferrari.
The Monferrato team can count on a solid backbone made up of Italian players who have been protagonists with the Junior jersey for years: Denegri and Valentini, the two playmakers, despite their young age, can boast of important experience in the A2 championship gained in the years spent in Casale under the guidance of coach Marco Ramondino, now in Tortona. Niccolò Martinoni, the captain, has for years been one of the most important players of the team, and of the entire tournament, due to the double internal and external dimension that allows the Junior to propose different tactical structures depending on the opponents and the matches.
The other confirmations compared to last season are Luca Cesana, capable of playing in all three positions as a winger, and Leonardo Battistini - a high-energy winger who completes the forward department.
In the summer, Novipiù chose two of the most consistent Americans of recent years: Chris Roberts and DeShawn Sims. The first, in Treviglio last season, is a guard capable of finalizing the team's attacks and creating for his teammates, while the second - equipped with a double dimension - is one of the strongest big men in the entire A2 Series for continuity of performance and, together with Martinoni, forms a complete and versatile couple. Another high-level addition who has shored up the wing department of the team coached by Mattia Ferrari is Simone Tomasini, one of the great protagonists of the excellent year played by Rieti last year: he is a versatile guard, capable of handling the ball and playing also in the role of small forward.
Alessandro Piazza, a veteran point guard of the tournament, also arrived during the current season and made up for the absences due to injury of Valentini, Denegri and Tomasini during the first matches of the championship. Able to offer a solid performance, it completes and enriches the Junior with experience and talent. Under the basket, in addition to the aforementioned Sims, Martinoni and Battistini, the Club has placed a strong focus on Gora Camara - an interesting prospect from the Virtus Bologna school - a player with a strong internal dimension and capable of being a defensive factor thanks to his physicality.
The roster is then completed by the youngsters Alessandro Sirchia, Carlo Cappelletti, Pietro Avonto, Leonardo Da Campo, Yannick Giombini, Enrico Feng and Duccio Galluzzi, who also compete in the Under 18 DNG championship with the Junior Casale shirt.
CURIOSITIES AND REASONS OF INTEREST – Fueling the anticipation and interest in this match, which is deeply felt by both fans, is the presence of three former Bertram Yachts Derthona players: coach Marco Ramondino, Casale's technical guide for four years, is the he coach of the Lions since last year, Matteo Formenti – at Junior, of which he was also captain, from 2002 to 2009 and among the protagonists of the victory in the Italian Cup and the Serie B championship in the 2004/05 season – is on his first return from opponent at PalaFerraris. Assistant coach Gianmarco Di Matteo, who arrived in Tortona in the summer, spent the last two years in Casale, first on Marco Ramondino's staff and then on Mattia Ferrari's.
Bertram Yachts Derthona has set up a bus to allow fans to follow the team on this long-awaited trip. The presence of around 300 Juventus fans is expected at the PalaFerraris in Casale Monferrato.
MEDIA AND REFEREES – The race will be broadcast live on LNP Tv Pass (https://lnppass.legapallacanestro.com/), LNP's subscription service. Live updates on the progress of the race will be published on www.derthonabasket.it (Official website of the Lions) and on the social channels of Derthona Basket (Facebook: Derthona Basket, Twitter: @derthonabasket, Instagram: @derthonabasket).
The match will be refereed by Alessandro Tirozzi from Bologna (BO), Francesco Terranova from Ferrara (FE) and Daniele Calella from Bologna (BO).
