Pallacanestro Varese

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Pallacanestro Varese Spa

Leagues

Euroleague, Lega Basket Serie A

Founded

1945

History

Pallacanestro Varese (1945-present)

Arena

PalaWhirlpool (5,300 seats)

Location

Varese, Italy

Team colors

White and red

President

Gianfranco Castiglioni (owner)

Head coach

Veljko Mrsic

Championships

Lega Basket (10): 1961, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1999
Euroleague (5): 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976
International Cup (3): 1966, 1970, 1973
Saporta Cup (2): 1967, 1980
Italian Supercup (1): 1999
Italian Cup (4): 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973

Website

http://www.pallacanestrovarese.it/

Uniforms



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Pallacanestro Varese is an Italian basketball club founded in 1946. For sponsorship reasons, it is also currently known as Cimberio Varese.

1 History
2 List of former sponsorship names
3 2007-2008 Roster
4 Notable past players
5 Notable past coaches
6 External links

[edit] History

Basketball was introduced in Varese in 1946 with the creation of the historical club, Pallacanestro Varese. The first sponsors were introduced 8 years later in 1954 including Storm and Ignis, followed by Emerson, Turisanda, Cagiva, Star, Ciaocrem, Divarese, Ranger, Metis, Whirlpool and the most recent, Cimberio. Varese is also famous due to the lack of main sponsor in the mid-1990s and the choice of franchise name, the Varese Roosters.

Since their creation, Pallancanestro Varese has won 10 Italian titles, -1961, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978 and the last title, won 21 years after the previous title, in 1999. With 10 titles, Varese is the third most winning team of the Italian League ever after Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna.

As it is shown by its roll of honours, Varese was extremely competitive in the 1970s, when the club played ten Euroleague finals in a row, winning 5 of them in 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976. Between 1970 and 1975 the club was named Ignis Varese. The golden age had begun some years before, as Varese conquered the Intercontinental Cup in 1966, repeating it 4 and 7 years later in its greatest decade in 1970 and 1973. Varese succeeded in doing the great enterprise, the Grande Slam, winning all the trophies available in 1973 with famous Professor Aca Nikolić seating on the bench. Varese also won two Cups of the Cups, 1967 and 1980, and four Italian Cups, in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1973.

Varese's great age ended in the early nineties, when the team dropped down to the second division. Soon, the club took its revenge coming up once again to the Italian top league, and after 5 years spent as the real team to watch in the Italian playoffs, it succeeded in winning its historical 10th title, the one that gives the star on the jersey in 1999, with Italian national team's coach Carlo Recalcati on bench. Varese has never repeated that triumph so far, but the great resound of that success is still echoing all over Italy.

Ignis Varese in 1973.

[edit] List of former sponsorship names

Storm (1954-1956)
Ignis (1956-1975)
Mobilgirgi (1975-1978)
Emerson (1978-1980)
Turisanda (1980-1981)
Cagiva (1981-1983)
Star (1983-1984)
Ciao Crem (1984-1985)
Divarese (1985-1989)
Ranger (1989-1992)
Cagiva (1992-1997)
No name sponsorship (1997-1999)
Varese Roosters (1999-2001)
Metis (2001-2004)
Casti Group (2004-2005)
Whirlpool (2005-2007)
Cimberio (2007-present)

[edit] 2007-2008 Roster

4	Marco Passera	Point guard
6	Gregor Hafnar	Small forward
7	Andrea Marusic	Small forward
8	Marcus Melvin	Power forward/Center
9	Alessandro De Pol	Power forward
10	Giacomo Galanda	Power Forward
11	Salvatore Genovese	Shooting guard
12	Fabio Valenti	Point guard
13	Giorgio Boscagin	Shooting guard/Small forward
14	Jaime Lloreda	Center
18	Riccardo Antonelli	Small forward
21	Mate Skelin	Center
23	Tierre Brown	Point guard
24	Delonte Holland	Small forward