There will be many hearthfelt moments in Olimpia’s first outing – a true home game, tip-off time on Sunday at 16:00 – against Tortona. First and foremost, the team’s Italian league debut, in front of the fans and against a team coached by a true Olimpia personality like Mario Fioretti, who will never be an enemy. But above all, the tribute to Mr. Giorgio Armani immediately before taking the court. It will be a touching moment for everyone: Mr. Armani became sole owner of Olimpia Milan on June 6, 2008; the following season, the team reached the Italian league final, and six years later, it would win the first of 15 trophies under his wing (the Super Cup a week ago was actually the sixteenth).
Then there will be a game. A tough one for obvious reasons, against a competitive team that will make its Italian league debut well prepared. Olimpia is coming off a “tour de force”, the first of many, four games in six days. The team — after returning from Belgrade on the night between Thursday and Friday — will play on a two-day break since the last game, almost a privilege these days. However, they will have to manage health, resources, and energy. Shavon Shields and Josh Nebo, who came out of the Serbian week nursing some injuries, will be rested while the health staff will evaluate their situation. Lorenzo Brown has not recovered yet and won’t be available too.
COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “It will be an important day for us, because we’ll rememeber one more time, before the first official home game of our season, Mr. Giorgio Armani, all together, team, club and fans. It will be also a chance to wish good luck to Mario Fioretti in his first game as a head coach. Mario has been a trusted and loyal Olimpia man for 22 years. He deserved this kind of opportunity a long time ago probably. During his time in Olimpia he shwed great human qualities and a deep knowledge of basketball right to the smallest detail. For me personally, he was a precious assistant and a persona I’m proud to call friend.”
BERTRAM TORTONA OUTLOOK – Tortona has changed dramatically since last season. In addition to replacing coach Walter De Raffaele with Mario Fioretti, they’ve retained just four players: guards Tommaso Baldasso and Christian Vital; power forward Justin Gorham; and center Paul Biligha. The fifth returnee is forward Arturs Strautins, but he’s injured and currently unavailable. The point guard is Ezra Manjon, a diminutive speedster, from Vanderbilt, where he averaged 14.7 points and 3.8 assists per game, and last year was in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Vital, as a guard, averaged 15.2 points per game last year, along with 3.0 assists, while making nearly seven three-pointers per game. The defense is rounded out by Baldasso, now a Serie A veteran and a skilled shooter, who finished both previous seasons in Tortona averaging in double figures scoring. Finally, Prentiss Hubb, who can play two positions and returned to Italy after spending a season in Trento (11.2 points, 5.2 assists per game, 37.5 percent three-point shooting on 6.8 attempts per game) and then one at AEK Athens (11.0 points and 5.0 assists per game in the Greek league). While waiting for Strautins, the forwards are the Olimpia academy product Andrea Pecchia, in Trento last year, a solid defender and excellent rebounder for his size, and Joonas Riismaa, who is coming from Cantù. Gorham is a power forward with a decent outside shot, averaging 12.0 points and 5.1 rebounds last year. Biligha has 436 Serie A appearances to his name, along with his defensive presence and mid-range shooting ability. The other two big men are Polish international Dominik Olejniczak, who played college in America, leaving Florida State in 2020 and has been in France for the past four seasons, and newcomer Brekkott Chapman, a power forward from Weber State who played professionally primarily in Germany and Japan.
