Italian Basketball Supercup
The Italian Basketball Supercup (Italian: Supercoppa Italiana di Pallacanestro), also known as Discovery+ Supercoppa for sponsorship reasons,[2] is a professional basketball super cup competition. From the 2020 Supercup edition, all the teams of LBA took part in the competition. Created in 1995, it is organised by the Lega Basket – who run the LBA and the Italian Cup – in partnership with RCS Sport, and it traditionally opens the season.
| Current season, competition or edition: 2023 Italian Basketball Supercup | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country | Italy |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) | Virtus Segafredo Bologna (4 titles) |
| Most titles | Mens Sana 1871 (6 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Eurosport[1] |
| Sponsor(s) | Discovery+ |
| Related competitions | LBA Italian Cup |
History Edit
The 2014 edition of the Supercup was played on October 4 and 5, at Sassari's PalaSerradimigni, in a final four format. Italian League and Italian Cup runners-up Montepaschi Siena (also defending champions), did not participate, after declaring bankruptcy over the summer. Italian League champions EA7 Emporio Armani Milano, comfortably dispatched Enel Brindisi (third in the 2014 cup), by a score of 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 Sassari head coach Romeo Sacchetti, rotating his squad.[3]
The final saw Sassari add a second title to their prior cup win, by 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.[4]
The 2015 edition took place in Turin's PalaRuffini, on 26 and 27 September. It pitted 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.[5][6]
Format Edit
In 2000, the Supercup was organised on a bigger scale, with all but one of the Serie A and Serie A2 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.[7]
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).[8] The format was confirmed for the following editions.
In 2020 edition all the teams of LBA took part in the Supercup, due to the early conclusion of the 2019–20 LBA season caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The competition consists of 4 round robin groups that qualify 4 teams to the Final Four that was held in Bologna at the Segafredo Arena. The format was confirmed for the 2021 edition, with a Final Eight in place of a Final Four.
Media scrutiny Edit
Some observers have derided the Italian Basketball Supercup as a, "minor trophy", in contrast to the Italian Cup.[9] 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 unfavorably comparing its appeal to that of the top level Italian league, the top level Italian Cup, and the 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 club basketball (such as Bari or Palermo), or even abroad, in the manner of the Italian football Supercup.[10][11]
Title holders Edit
Mens Sana are the record-holders with seven cups, Treviso and Milano follow with four titles, Virtus Bologna have participated in the most finals (11), winning the cup three times.[7]
- 1995: Buckler Beer Bologna
- 1996: Riello Mash Verona
- 1997: Benetton Treviso
- 1998: Teamsystem Bologna
- 1999: Varese Roosters
- 2000: Aeroporti di Roma Virtus
- 2001: Benetton Treviso
- 2002: Benetton Treviso
- 2003: Oregon Scientific Cantù
- 2004: Montepaschi Siena
- 2005: Climamio Bologna
- 2006: Benetton Treviso
- 2007: Montepaschi Siena
- 2008: Montepaschi Siena
- 2009: Montepaschi Siena
- 2010: Montepaschi Siena
- 2011: Montepaschi Siena
- 2012: Lenovo Cantù
- 2013: Montepaschi Siena (revoked)[12]
- 2014: Banco di Sardegna Sassari
- 2015: Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia
- 2016: EA7 Emporio Armani Milano
- 2017: EA7 Emporio Armani Milano
- 2018: AX Armani Exchange Milano
- 2019: Banco di Sardegna Sassari
- 2020: AX Armani Exchange Milano
- 2021: Virtus Segafredo Bologna
- 2022: Virtus Segafredo Bologna
- 2023: Virtus Segafredo Bologna
The finals Edit
- Player nationalities by national team.
Note: boxscores from Lega Basket (retrieved 21 September 2021)
Performance by club Edit
| Rank | Club | Titles | Runner-up | Champion Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mens Sana 1871 | 6 | 1 | 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 (revoked) |
| 2. | Virtus Bologna | 4 | 8 | 1995, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| 3. | Treviso | 4 | 5 | 1997, 2001, 2002, 2006 |
| 4. | Olimpia Milano | 4 | 3 | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 |
| 5. | Cantù | 2 | 1 | 2003, 2012 |
| 6. | Fortitudo Bologna | 2 | 0 | 1998, 2005 |
| 7. | Dinamo Sassari | 2 | 1 | 2014, 2019 |
| 8. | Varese | 1 | 1 | 1999 |
| 9. | Scaligera Verona | 1 | 0 | 1996 |
| 10. | Virtus Roma | 1 | 0 | 2000 |
| 11. | Reggiana | 1 | 0 | 2015 |
| 12. | Felice Scandone | 0 | 2 | |
| 13. | Reyer Venezia | 0 | 2 | |
| 14. | Torino | 0 | 1 | |
| 15. | Victoria Libertas | 0 | 1 | |
| 16. | Napoli | 0 | 1 |
See also Edit
References Edit
- ^ "Ad Eurosport il pacchetto PAY di Serie A, Supercoppa e Coppa Italia. Il GM di Discovery: Gran colpo" [Eurosport has pay TV rights for Serie A, Supercoppa and Coppa Italia. GM of Discovery Channel: Great hit]. Sportando.com (in Italian). 12 July 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ "Basket, ecco la Supercoppa targata Discovery: dal 3 al 21 settembre". repubblica.it (in Italian). 26 July 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Following an investigation for accounting and fiscal fraud, the Italian Basketball Federation revoked all the domestic titles won by the club during the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons.
External links Edit
- Results from Lega Basket (in Italian) Retrieved 14 September 2015