Italian Basketball Supercup
Current season, competition or edition: 2015 Italian Basketball Supercup | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country | Italy |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia (1st title) |
| Most titles |
Mens Sana Siena (7 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Sky Sport |
| Sponsor(s) | Beko |
| Related competitions |
Serie A Italian Cup |
The Italian Basketball Supercup (Russian: Supercoppa Italiana di Pallacanestro) is a professional basketball super cup competition that opposes at least the winners of the Serie A - the Italian domestic league - and the winners of the Italian Cup. Created in 1995, it is organised by the Lega Basket - who run the Serie A and the Italian Cup - in partnership with RCS Sport and traditionally opens the season.
History
Some observers have derided the Supercup as a “minor trophy” in contrast to the Italian Cup.[1] Journalist's such as the Corriere di Bologna's Daniele Labanti and Panorama's Paolo Corio reacted to the low spectator turnout at the 2014 edition (as part of a general trend) organised in Sassari by comparing unfavourably its appeal to that of the league, cup and Euroleague (in which the home team would be involved). The formula and venue was also criticised with calls to organise a single final in a city bereft of a professional basketball club (such as Bari or Palermo) or even abroad in the manner of the Italian football Supercup.[2][3]
The 2014 edition of the Supercup was played on October 4 and 5 at Sassari's PalaSerradimigni, in a final four format. League and cup runners-up Montepaschi Siena (also defending champions) did not participate after declaring bankruptcy over the summer. League champions EA7 Emporio Armani Milano comfortably dispatched Enel Brindisi (third in the 2014 cup) 71-59 in the first semifinal on the back of Linas Kleiza's and Joe Ragland's long-distance shooting (17 and 16 points respectively) in a mistake-strewn game. The other semifinal saw cup-holders Banco di Sardegna Sassari have an easy 89-73 win over Acea Roma (league semifinalist), with the hosts always leading and coach Romeo Sacchetti rotating his squad.[4]
The final saw Sassari add a second title to their prior cup win, downing Milano 96-88. The Sardinians started the game on the front foot, leading the first quarter 29-14 while Milano struggled to score (0-for-6 from three). They continued to drive the game at the start of the second quarter but Milano found a way back into the game thanks to stronger defense and a stellar MarShon Brooks to answer with a 15-0 run from 36-18 down, with Sassari then finding their scoring shoes to finish the half 50-40. Three's from Ragland and Kleiza helped Milano claw back at the lead but Brooks missed the shot to equalise, with the quarter ending on 72-68. Sassari would stay in front for the rest of the game, with Supercup MVP Jerome Dyson entertaining the fans. Brooks led all scorers with 26 points, followed for Milano by Ragland (17) and Kleizia (16) whilst Dyson paced the winners with 25 and three other players had 14 points.[5]
The 2015 edition will take place in Turin's PalaRuffini on the 26th and 27th of September. It will pit Banco di Sardegna Sassari (both league and cup holders) against Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia (league runners-up) and EA7 Emporio Armani Milano (cup finalist and league semifinalist) against Umana Reyer Venezia (league semifinalist) in the semifinals.[6][7]
Format
In 2000, the Supercup was organised on a bigger scale, with all but one of the Serie A and Serie A teams participating (Viola Reggio Calabria were caught up in a tournament in Buenos Aires), with the league and cup holders already qualified for the semifinals. The next year, the four best-ranked teams in the league took part in a Supercup final four.[8]
The 2014 edition saw the Supercup contested by four squads, with the league champion playing the runner up of the cup and the cup winner playing the league regular season runner-up (barring that, the next best placed team in the cup and the league are chosen in that order).[9] The format was confirmed for the 2015 edition.
Title holders
Mens Sana are the record-holders with seven cups, Treviso have participated in the most finals (9) and follow with four (4) titles, Cantù and Fortitudo Bologna won the cup twice whilst Fortitudo's rivals Virtus Bologna reached eight finals but only won the cup once.[8]
|
|
|
Note: sponsorship names in (brackets)
The finals
Note: boxscores from Lega Basket (retrieved 14 September 2015)
References
- ↑ Fuochi, Walter (23 February 2015). "Amara Milano, la Coppa è di Sassari" [Bitter Milano, the Cup is for Sassari]. Repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ↑ Corio, Paolo (6 October 2014). "La Supercoppa e quegli spettatori in meno anche a Sassari" [The Supercup and its fewer spectators even in Sassari]. Panorama.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ↑ Labanti, Daniele (5 October 2014). "Il basket, Sassari e il flop della Supercoppa" [Basketball, Sassari and the Supercup's failure]. boblog.CorrierediBologna.Corriere.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ↑ "Basket, Supercoppa Italiana: Milano batte Brindisi, in finale contro Sassari" [Basketball, Italian Supercup: Milano beats Brindisi, [is] in final against Sassari]. Repubblica.it (in Italian). 4 October 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- ↑ Canfora, Mario (5 October 2014). "Basket, Supercoppa. Finale: Sassari-Milano 96-88" [Basketball, Supercup: finals: Sassari-Milano 96-88]. Gazzetta.it (in Italian). Sassari. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ↑ "Beko Supercoppa 2015: si riparte da Dinamo - Reggio Emilia" [Beko Supercup 2015: starting again from Dinamo - Reggio Emilia]. DinamoBasket.com (in Italian). 15 July 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ↑ "La Beko Supercoppa 2015 a Torino" [The Beko Supercup 2015 in Turin]. LegaBasket.it (in Italian). 8 May 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- 1 2 "Il trionfo di Milano vale la finalissima della Supercoppa italiana" [The triumph over Milano is worth the Italian Supercup final]. GElocal.it/LaNuovaSardegna (in Italian). 11 February 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- ↑ "Beko Supercoppa; le modalità di partecipazione" [Beko Supercup; the participation procedures]. LegaBasket.it (in Italian). 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
External links
- Results from Lega Basket (Italian) Retrieved 14 September 2015
| ||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
