Three thousand people to attend the final of a summer tournament of basket in a playground. It doesn’t happen in New York, but ai Margaret gardens Of Bolognabetter known as the “Gardens”, where this year the 41st edition of the tournament dedicated to the memory of Walter Compass. “The first time, in 1982the field was not even lit – says the organizer of the tournament Simone Motola – today we broadcast the tournament in streaming all over the world with peaks of 35,000 views for the final”.
The tournament is part of the history from Bologna. Nba stars such as have passed on this piece of asphalt Micheal “Sugar” Ray Richardson while the grandstands hosted enthusiasts such as Lucio From the, Roberto Baggio e Marco Pantani. Today the tournament involves 25 teams Between male e female for a total of over 400 players, from A2 to “minors”. Nothing is left to chance. There are the teams, the sponsorthe fans, the speaker, custom shirts. And during the winter season there is the race to corner the better shooters in view of the summer challenges on the asphalt of the “Gardens”. This year the trophy went to Matteiplast Ristorante Alice Bottega Backdoor who surpassed in the final the Not In My Olly Fans. An authentic “schnitzel” derby, since the sponsors of the two teams included two of the most popular restaurateurs, Oscar del Alice restaurantvirtussino doc, and Fabio Berti della Bertozzi restaurant, on the shores of fortitude. A derby within a derby that bears witness to basketball in Bologna breathe everywhere. And it is no coincidence that she has earned the title of “Basket City” of Italy.
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The fame of the tournament does not stop at the city walls but has also arrived all’estero. The last edition, on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary, saw for the first time the participation of a team from one of the most important American summer leagues: the Drew League. And the story of the “Gardens” also ended in a documentary produced by Nba. The reason? It is a unique tournament in Europe.
Many have trodden the asphalt of the “Gardens”. “The greatest of all was Michael “Sugar” Ray Richardson,” Motola is keen to point out. A player who after playing hundreds of NBA games in the Knicks, Warriors, Nets jersey landed in Bologna with the Virtus. And right here she wanted to participate in two editions of the “Bussolari” tournament. But the “Gardens” are Democrats and it can also happen that an NBA star like Richardson is stopped by a player from the Italian B2 series. Then there are players who have marked the history of the Italian national team such as James Galandasilver at the 2004 Olympics, Stephen Mancinelli e Daniel Hackett.
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Today, the geography of players has changed slightly. “We have about fifteen A2 players while half of the players plays in Serie B”, explains the organizer. But in a world where prosecutors and agents dominate, the Gardens is still one dispay window for those who want to discover new talent off the radar. An example? Sasha Vidriniborn in 2001, plays in the Pittsburgh University, American third-tier college. He won the title of most improved player and who knows if when he finishes his American studies he won’t find a high-level engagement in Italy thanks also to his performances at the Margaret Gardens. With the 2023 edition archived, the time has come to think about the future: “The challenge is to increasingly expand the sections dedicated to wheelchair basketball and al baskin – concludes Simone Motola – and to open up more and more all’estero returning to host teams foreign”.