Denis Marconato

Denis Marconato (born July 29, 1975 in Treviso) is an Italian professional basketball player. He is 211 cm (6 ft 11 in) tall and he plays at the center position, in which he's considered to have been one of the best defensive players of his era in Europe.

Pro career

Marconato joined Benetton Treviso's youth team in 1990 and with them he won three juniors titles between 1991 and 1994. He made his debut in the Serie A with the senior team of Benetton Treviso in the 1993-94 season, but he did not have a place in Treviso's roster, so he was loaned to Padova, where he demonstrated his talent. In the 1996-97 season, he returned to Treviso and Benetton coach Mike D'Antoni gave him a more important role in the team; and that season Marconato won his first Italian Championship. After winning the Italian SuperCup title and MVP in 1997 and the Saporta Cup in 1999, he was named the MVP of the Italian Cup Final Eight in 2000 (won by Benetton).

In the following years, he won two more Italian championships (2002, 2003), three more Italian Cups (2003, 2004, 2005) and played at two Euroleague Final Fours (2002, 2003). During his last season with Treviso, Marconato was also the captain of the team. In the summer of 2005, he moved to the Spanish ACB League club FC Barcelona, together with his Italian national team teammate Gianluca Basile.

Italian national team

Marconato played in 1994 with the Under-20 junior Italian national team, and he also participated at the Under-22 European Championship held in Istanbul in 1996. From then onward, he was a stable member of the senior Italian national team, which won the European Championship in 1999, a bronze medal at the European Championship in 2003, and the silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. In addition, Marconato was also a member of the Italian roster at the World Championship in 2006.

Honors and awards

Pro career

• 3 Italian Junior Championships: (1991, 1992, 1994)
• 4 Italian SuperCup Championships: (1997, 2001, 2002, 2009)
• 4 Euroleague Final Fours: (1998, 2002, 2003, 2006)
• Italian SuperCup MVP: (1997)
• 3 Italian Championships: (1997, 2002, 2003)
• 1 Saporta Cup Championship: (1999)
• 5 Italian Cup Championships: (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010)
• Italian Cup MVP: (2000)
• 1 Spanish Cup Championship: (2007)

Italian national team

• EuroBasket 1997: Silver Medal
• EuroBasket 1999: Gold Medal
• EuroBasket 2003: Bronze Medal
• 2004 Olympics: Silver Medal

External links

• Euroleague.net Profile
• Basketpedya.com Profile