Derthona guest at PalaRadi: "Cremona can't be underestimated."
After the last home success against Banco di Sardegna Sassari, Mario Fioretti's Bertram Derthona Tortona returns to the away game, facing Vanoli Basket Cremona at the PalaRadi on Sunday 21 December at 18:00 (live on LBATV) for Round 12 of the LBA Serie A Unipol championship.
It will be a return to Cremona for both Paul Biligha, who played for the Biancoblu from 2015 to 2017, playing 67 games across all national competitions, and Andrea Pecchia, who played a key role in Vanoli's return to Serie A in 2023.
The Juventus number 6 was a guest of Osteria Billis and the twins Alessandro and Filippo Billi in our latest YouTube feature, with the preparation of strictly gluten-free Agnolotti Derthona, in an interview that goes into detail, talking about the celiac disease of the 1997-born player.
How do the two teams arrive?
As previously anticipated, Bertram Derthona Tortona arrives at the twelfth matchday after the adrenaline-filled match at the Nova Arena against Banco di Sardegna Sassari.
After two overtimes and career highs set by both Christian Vital (34 points) and Tommaso Baldasso (30 points), the Bianconeri had found victory again 118 - 113 in front of their audience.
The last three league games, interspersed with the break, have not been good for Pierluigi Brotto's team, who have suffered three consecutive defeats, slowing down an exciting run.
After the home success against Pallacanestro Trieste, in fact, Cremona lost at home against Openjobmetis Varese (79 - 87) and away with Germani Brescia (83 - 72) and Guerri Napoli (102 - 76).
Vanoli Basket Cremona under the microscope
After an initial setback at Umana Reyer Venezia, the Cremonese team's championship season took a surprising turn, with three consecutive significant victories, including a successful away match at Virtus Olidata Bologna, the reigning Italian champions.
The swing in performance over the following weeks did not alter Vanoli's philosophy and identity, always extremely aggressive and a difficult client for all opponents in the LBA.
Among the individuals, the excellent performances in the guard department by Davide Casarin (12.2 points and 5.2 assists on average), who was also a protagonist in Nova Arena with the Italian national team jersey, and by Aljami Durham (15.4 points and 3.2 assists with 67.3% from two and 46.8% from beyond the arc) are certainly worth mentioning.
Furthermore, the contribution of Senegalese Ousmane Ndiaye, born in 2004, in his first experience in the Italian championship, is not lacking, averaging 11.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Andrea Vicenzutto's point
As usual, one of Mario Fioretti's assistant coaches presents the challenge. "Facing Cremona in the last friendly of our pre-season [81 - 94 in Soresina, ed.], we immediately understood that they would be a positive team in the first few days,” says Andrea Vicenzutto.
"That's exactly what happened. They played a great match against us, both defensively and offensively, with teams and formations clearly still far from what they've become now. The style of play and the aggression they demonstrated and displayed on the pitch, however, have fundamentally remained."
"They're a very aggressive team in the opening seconds of play, a team that physically impacts the game, even on defense; this has allowed them to win many games, even on difficult pitches like Virtus's. In short, they've shown that what they did in the last friendly has become Cremona's guiding principle for the first half of the season," he adds.
Vicenzutto also addressed Vanoli's recent negative weeks. "They're coming off a slightly more difficult period than they started, though punctuated by the break. But the games they've played have been intense. In Naples, they objectively took a significant lead," he emphasized.
"Cremona, however, is a team that can't be underestimated during this challenging period. Especially at home, where their strengths obviously risk being tripled because the confidence that playing on your own turf brings out all your strengths. We should be good at knowing that this period can end at any moment: we absolutely mustn't underestimate them for that."
“[Davide] Casarin is a key player in their style of play. He makes an impact not only in scoring but above all in allowing goals. He's very good at creating in many situations and really brings a significant pace to an important match; together with [Aljami] Durham, he leads the way,” he says.
“Besides them, obviously [Payton] Willis is a player who deserves particular attention: we all know the impact he has had and is having in recent years in Italy, always with excellent averages,” adds Mario Fioretti's assistant coach.
"The other player who wasn't in the friendly and who I'd like to highlight is definitely [Ousmane] Ndiaye, who has been improving in recent days. Despite being a rookie in our league, he's a tremendously talented player, with a truly remarkable physique. I think he could be a problem if not properly marked, because he has truly remarkable talent in his hands."
(PHOTO CREDIT: Ciamillo-Castoria Agency)
