“New” pallacanestro Reggiana: conquering Europe!

Pallacanestro Reggiana’s 2016-17 season ended at the quarter-finals of the championship play-offs: the team from Reggio Emilia was knocked out by Avellino and forced to settle for qualifying for the Eurocup. The previous two seasons Reggiana had qualified for the final of the Italian championships, first losing to Sassari after a seven-game battle and then to Milan in game 6. “To tell the truth – so Filippo Barozzi, chief operations officer of Pallacanestro Reggiana, had to admit - we expected more from the team in the 2016-17 season, since everybody agreed that we had an excellent squad. Perhaps there was something missing in terms of team spirit and we paid for our lack of experience playing at such high levels. Our period at the top did not last as long as we had hoped and we now need to begin again differently”. This summer Reggiana is like a revolving door: Achille Polonara has left the team for Dinamo Sassari, Pietro Aradori and Stefano Gentile have transferred to Virtus Bologna, and Andrea De Nicolao now plays for Reyer Venezia. “A new cycle – so Barozzi claims - will now begin”.

Maria Licia Ferrarini is still the club president and Alessandro Dalla Salda remains the sports director with Alessandro Frosini as team manager and Massimiliano Menetti the head coach. As regards the main squad, the team will also around its center, Riccardo Cervi, and shooting guard Amedeo Della Valle. The team roster also includes the promising Federico Mussini, aged 21, who is back at Reggiana after training in the United States, Leonardo Candi, 20, who used to play for Fortitudo Bologna, and Niccolò Davico, 23, from Biella, who was voted the best player in the A2 championship in the 2016-17 season. In addition, there is also the experienced Michael Alexander Moser, aged 27, who played for a club in Kosovo until June. “Mike” Moser is an American-born naturalised Albanian. “Moser – so Barozzi assures us - is somebody we had been following for years. Last season he was the best player in the Kosovo Championship. Reggiana is also continuing to place its faith in Jalen Reynolds (United States), a centre who is 2 metres 8 cm tall. 

EUROPE, HERE WE COME AGAIN

Thanks to its final league position in the 2016-17 Championship, Reggiana will be back playing in an international competition from 11^th October. The club has qualified for the Eurocup, the second most important continental competition after the EuroLeague. The club from Emilia’s qualifying group includes some top teams: Bayern Monaco (Germany), Galatasaray (Turkey), Podgorica (Montenegro), Lietkabelis (Lithuania), Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel). The Lavrinovic twins from Lithuania used to play for Reggiana and will soon be back on court at the PalaBigi playing for the opposition, Lietkabelis. “A tough and prestigious qualifying group – so Mr Barozzi noted -: we are proud to be taking on such famous clubs. They will help our club improve and raise its international status”.              

4.600 CHEERING FANS 

Until last season, Pallacanestro Reggiana played its home games at the PalaBigi which had a capacity of 3,500. “The stadium was sold out for almost every game – so Filippo Barozzi noted - with all the seats being taken by our season-ticket holders and the special allocation for away fans”. The PalaBigi can now seat 4,600, thanks to an initial round of restructuring work carried out by Reggio Emilia City Council: this corresponds to a 31.4% increase in seating capacity. “This is a big increase and will enable us to develop new commercial and communication strategies. Until June 2017 our fans basically formed their own club: the faces were always the same. Now the PalaBigi can attract new supporters from different backgrounds: we would like to increase the number of families attending our home games, so we will be looking at how this can be achieved. As well as giving the team even more support, the 1,100 extra fans will mean higher takings and a boost to our image”.

WOMEN AND YOUTH TEAM 

Until June 2017, 30-35% of Reggiana’s fans were women. “That is why we are considering the possibility of creating our own women’s team. So far, we have focused on the men’s team, making notable investments to bring on young players. Our basketball school can boast about 200 young players aged between 6-13 years. We also have four teams involved in youth championships for players aged between 14-19 years”.

U.S. Sassuolo Calcio is owned by Mapei: comparisons between Reggiana basketball team and Sassuolo football team are inevitable. “Comparisons with Sassuolo - so Mr Barozzi pointed out – are particularly challenging. They also play their home games in Reggio Emilia and their fitness tests and training schedules are handled by Mapei Sport Centre in Olgiate Olona, as are ours. Here at Pallacanestro Reggiana we hold Sassuolo in great esteem and we are frequently in contact with Giovanni Carnevali and the rest of the football team’s management staff”.