Pallacanestro Varese Explained

Pallacanestro Varese
Leagues:LBA
History:Pallacanestro Varese
(1946–present)
Arena:Palasport Lino Oldrini
Capacity:5,107
Location:Varese, Italy
Colors:White, Red
Owner:Luis Scola, Varese nel cuore s.c. a r.l., Il Basket Siamo Noi
Ceo:Luis Scola
President:Antonio Bulgheroni
Championships:10 Italian Leagues
4 Italian Cups
1 Italian Supercup
3 Intercontinental Cups
5 EuroLeagues
2 Saporta Cups
Coach:Herman Mandole
Website:pallacanestrovarese.it
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Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian first division LBA.

For past club sponsorship names, see sponsorship names.

History

Basketball was introduced in Varese in 1945, 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 its having a main sponsor in the mid-1990s (something unusual in the Italian basketball league), and the choice of its franchise name, the Varese Roosters.

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

As it is shown by its roll of honors, Varese was extremely competitive in the 1970s, when the club played in the European-wide first-tier level FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague), and played in ten finals in a row, winning 5 of them, in the years 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1976. Between 1970 and 1975, the club was named Ignis Varese. What was the club's golden age had begun some years before, as Varese conquered the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 1966, and repeated the same title 4 and 7 years later, in the middle of the club's greatest decade in 1970 and 1973. Varese accomplished the great feat of winning the Triple Crown, winning all the trophies available in 1973, with the legendary Professor Aca Nikolić as the team's head coach. Varese also won two championships of the European-wide first-tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup, in 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 Italian second division. Soon, the club took its revenge, coming up once again to the Italian top-tier level league, and after 5 years time became the real team to watch in the Italian League's playoffs, as it succeeded in winning its historical 10th Italian League title in 1999, with Carlo Recalcati (who later coached the Italian national team), leading the way as the club's head coach. Varese has never repeated that triumph so far, but that success is still remembered to this day. Varese has been trying to return to the top of the Italian League and European-wide competitions in the years since.

Players

Depth chart

Season by season

SeasonTierLeagueItalian CupEuropean competitions
2004–051Serie A14th
2005–061Serie A10th
2006–071Serie A7th
2007–081Serie A18th
2008–092Serie A21st
2009–101Serie A11th
2010–111Serie A8th
2011–121Serie A8th
2012–131Serie A3rd
2013–141Serie A10th
2014–151Serie A11th
2015–161LBA9thbgcolor=silver
2016–171LBA12th
2017–181LBA6th
2018–191LBA9th
2019–201LBA10th
2020–211LBA14th
2021–221LBA12th

Honours

Total titles: 25

Domestic competitions

Winners (10): 1960–61, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1998–99

Runners-up (10): 1948–49, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1989–90

Winners (4): 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73

Runners-up (5): 1971–72, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1998–99, 2012–13

Winners (1): 1999

Runners-up (1): 2013

European competitions

Winners (5): 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76

Runners-up (5): 1970–71, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79

Semifinalists (1): 1964–65

Winners (2): 1966–67, 1979–80

Semifinalists (2): 1967–68, 1980–81

Runners-up (1): 1984–85

Semifinalists (1): 1985–86

Runners-up (1): 2015–16

Worldwide competitions

Winners (3): 1966, 1970, 1973

Runners-up (4): 1967, 1974, 1976, 1977

3rd place (1): 1979

4th place (1): 1978

4th place (1): 1999

Individual club awards

Winners (2): 1969–70, 1972–73

International record

See main article: Pallacanestro Varese in European and worldwide competitions.

SeasonAchievementNotes
EuroLeague
1964–65Semi-finalseliminated by CSKA Moscow, 57–58 (L) in Varese and 67–69 (L) in Moscow
1969–70Championsdefeated CSKA Moscow, 79–74 in the final of European Champions Cup in Sarajevo
1970–71Finallost to CSKA Moscow, 53–67 in the final (Antwerp)
1971–72Championsdefeated Jugoplastika, 70–69 in the final of European Champions Cup in Tel Aviv
1972–73Championsdefeated CSKA Moscow, 71–66 in the final of European Champions Cup in Liège
1973–74Finallost to Real Madrid, 82–84 in the final (Nantes)
1974–75Championsdefeated Real Madrid, 79–66 in the final of European Champions Cup in Antwerp
1975–76Championsdefeated Real Madrid, 81–74 in the final of European Champions Cup in Geneva
1976–77Finallost to Maccabi Tel Aviv, 77–78 in the final (Belgrade)
1977–78Finallost to Real Madrid, 67–75 in the final (Munich)
1978–79Finallost to Bosna, 93–96 in the final (Grenoble)
FIBA Saporta Cup
1966–67Championsdefeated Maccabi Tel Aviv, 77–67 (W) in Varese and 67–68 (L) in Tel Aviv in the double final of European Cup Winners' Cup
1967–68Semi-finalseliminated by AEK, 78–60 (W) in Varese and 52–72 (L) in Athens
1979–80Championsdefeated Gabetti Cantù, 90–88 in the final of European Cup Winners' Cup in Milan
1980–81Semi-finalseliminated by Squibb Cantù, 84–94 (L) in Varese and 65–78 (L) in Cantù
FIBA Korać Cup
1984–85Finallost to Simac Milano, 78–91 in the final (Brussels)
1985–86Semi-finalseliminated by Mobilgirgi Caserta, 84–71 (W) in Varese and 75–91 (L) in Caserta
1995–96Quarter-finalseliminated by Stefanel Milano, 72–81 (L) in Varese and 89–90 (L) in Milan
EuroCup
2002–03Quarter-finalseliminated by Adecco Estudiantes, 59–77 (L) in Madrid and 88–101 (L) in Varese
2003–04Quarter-finalseliminated by Real Madrid, 67–68 (L) in Madrid and 57–62 (L) in Varese
FIBA Europe Cup
2015–16Finallost to Fraport Skyliners, 62–66 in the final (Chalon-sur-Saône)
Intercontinental Cup
1966Championsdefeated Corinthians 66-59 in the final of Intercontinental Cup in Madrid
1967Finallost to Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, 72–78 in the final (Rome)
1970ChampionsIntercontinental Cup Champions with a 4-0 record in a league tournament in Varese
1973ChampionsIntercontinental Cup Champions with a 3–1 record in a league tournament in São Paulo
1974Runners-upRunners-up with a 4–1 record in a league tournament in Mexico City
19755th place5th place with a 2–3 record in a league tournament in Varese
1976Runners-upRunners-up with a 4–1 record in a league tournament in Buenos Aires
1977Runners-upRunners-up with a 3–2 record in a league tournament in Madrid
19784th place4th place with a 1–3 record in a league tournament in Buenos Aires
19793rd place3rd place with a 2–2 record in a league tournament in São Paulo
McDonald's Championship
19994th place4th place in Milan, lost to San Antonio Spurs 86–96 in the semi-final, lost to Žalgiris 78–97 in the 3rd place game

Notable players

Head coaches

Sponsorship names

Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:[1]

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

PeriodKit manufacturer
1997–1999Kappa
1999–2001Reebok
2002–2003(unspecified)
2003–2006Macron
2006-2008Nike
2008–2010Aries
2010–2014Macron
2014–2015Adidas
2015–2018Spalding
2018–presentMacron

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://web.legabasket.it/team/history.phtml?id=VA Lega A page on the history of Pallacanestro Varese.

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