Germani Brescia, after the victory in the Lombard derby against Varese, opens the 26th day of the 2023/24 UnipolSai Serie A by hosting Bertram Derthona Tortona, fresh from the success against Cremona.
Where to see it: Saturday 6 April 2024 at 8.30pm, DAZN and Eurosport 2
Referees: Guido Giovannetti, Mark Bartoli, Matteo Lucotti
PREVIOUS
There are 6 precedents between the clubs played so far, four of which were won by Germani.
Bertram only won the first match played between the two clubs in Brescia on 3 October 2021 (77-79).
Brescia and Tortona also met in the semi-final of the Frecciarossa Supercoppa played at the beginning of the season and ended with the biancoblu winning 86-63.
THE GONE
In the first leg match between the two teams, played on Sunday 5 November 2023 during the 6th day, Germani clearly won 59-87 driven by 17 points from Massinburg and 16 from Della Valle.
THE COACHES
Alessandro Magro is ahead 2-1 in the previous matches against Walter De Raffaele.
THE CURIOSITY
Amedeo Della Valle is -13 points away from 3,500 points scored in Serie A. Only Alessandro Gentile and Andrea Cinciarini of the players currently in the Italian championship have already reached this milestone.
THE ABSENT
Germani Brescia – Michael Cobbins is unavailable.
THE EX
Germani Brescia – Semaj Christon played in Tortona last season, averaging 15.7 points, 4.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds in the league.
Bertram Derthona Tortona – Andrea Zerini played for two seasons in Brescia, from 2018 to 2020, averaging 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds.
THE STATEMENTS
Alessandro Magro, coach Germani Brescia: “We present the next home match against Tortona and above all we begin a very important month because there will be 4 of the 5 matches that separate us from the Playoffs and it will be a final rush and as Carlo Recalcati underlined in an interview it has been years since there have been 4 divided teams only by two points in the last 5 days, because in the past the gap was much clearer and it was often between the top two teams and the third behind as it also happened to us in the first year (2021/22 season). It is a very exciting championship, very balanced, and we are playing a difficult match, to try to make the most of our fort, PalaLeonessa, an important support in trying to finish our journey in the best possible way at least in the regular season and try to have a first round Home playoff as top seed where we will try to be ready physically and mentally. We try to continue to achieve positive results and we want to do so in front of our fans but the objective is to try to find and have the best physical and mental shape when we actually have to play in the Playoffs given that we have had the ability to guarantee ourselves this offseason. Tortona is undoubtedly one of the best teams at the moment. Coach De Raffaele took over the team after a restyling of the roster and managed to win 8 of the last 12 games and they have objectively changed gear especially from a defensive point of view thanks to the inclusion of a player like Kamagate who is able to guarantee great protection of the rim and great intimidation, however De Raffaele’s way of managing the players is very similar to what we have always tried to do here with our platoon system. They have 11 players involved, they have 9 players scoring at least 7 points per game and they have 4 players in double figures. There are no clear points of reference but it is a team founded on players of the caliber of Colbey Ross, who was MVP of the championship last season and Dowe at point guard to try to use their great ability to attack the area and trigger the game to penetrate and discharge, or finish for themselves and I believe that in the new management they have found a lot of a player like Obasohan who had struggled at the beginning of the year but now he is used a lot even with the ball in hand and is thus able to express all his physical talent to try to attack the rim and put points on the scoresheet. They have players like Weems, like Baldasso or Strautins who is a completely changed player in this part of the season and plays with great confidence. They have the ability to use their 3-point shot to open up the paint even more. We just played against Varese but if I’m not mistaken in the last 5 games Tortona has shot more 3s than 2s and has averaged 33 3-point shots which is more than Varese does. However, they have a slightly different approach, therefore not with a frenetic game of run and shoot but through the excellent ability they have to attack close-outs and to always try to play penetrating and unloading and the enormous availability they have in sharing the ball, thus becoming a difficult team to face. They have improved the assist/turnover ratio excellently, considering that in the last match they only lost two balls and they are a team that has great ability to pass the ball and the desire to make assists. They are a team fighting for the Playoffs being eighth but I believe that due to the investments, the quality and the work they are doing they can aspire to a good position in the standings compared to what there was in the first part of the championship. As always De Raffaele has brought all his weapons and is taking advantage of the roster available to him. It’s a team that can play a 3-2 defense or use systematic switches. We prepared during the week, we will have to play a solid and careful match and I believe that the energy we will be able to put on the field will make the difference especially because there are quintets that they can put on the field with many kilos and centimeters with Strautins and Obasohan, Weems and Kamagate to protect the area and let’s not forget Zerini, who comes in as a replacement for the big men and is a player who has great experience and has the ability to adapt tactically to the new coach’s requests. The next two are big games, games to be played with a knife between your teeth, and a lot will certainly depend on these on how we finish the season, but we want to try to get there lightly, because after the Easter Monday game with the victory in Pistoia we are back first in the standings, but we have to live it with serenity and lightness, not because the matches don’t count but because we have to concentrate on what we have done so far, and cling to what are its certainties and its strengths. We still have a lot to give but we must do it with a smile on our faces.”
Walter De Raffaele, coach Bertram Derthona Tortona: “Now five games await us, with a very difficult calendar, in which we will try to achieve something which, considering where we started, would be a real feat. Brescia? It is deservedly top of the class, a complete, experienced and high quality team. A very complex match awaits us, in which the physical impact and the ability to limit some of their qualities will be important. However, we are aware that Brescia has a lot of potential in every department. I believe that the comparison with those who have been the best so far brings stimuli in itself. The idea is to deploy energy and counteract an important physical size to compete.”