1969–70 Serie A (basketball)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 1969–70 Serie A
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
championship was the 47th season of the
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
, the highest professional basketball league in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. The regular season ran from 2 November 1969 to 12 April 1970, twelve teams played 22 games each. The team ranked first at the end of the season, Ignis Varese, was crowned champion (earning the single spot in the European Champions Cup) whilst the two lowest ranked teams, Splugen Brau Gorizia and
Brill Cagliari Olimpia Cagliari is an Italian amateur basketball club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. It is most famous for the period in the 1970s where, under the name Brill Cagliari, the team played in the first division Lega Basket Serie A, Serie A. History ...
, were relegated to the
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
. Ignis Varese won their second consecutive league title, fourth overall.


Season narrative


Preseason

All clubs were allowed only one foreign player though the two clubs engaged in European competition ( Ignis Varese and
Fides Napoli Partenope Napoli Basket is an Italian amateur basketball team from Naples, Campania. History Partenope Napoli Basket first took part in the top-tier level Italian first division, the LBA, from 1963 to 1965. After stabilizing itself in the top lev ...
) recruited another one to play in those competitions and All'Onesta' Milano's
Tony Gennari Anthony Michael Gennari (alternate name: Antonio; 9 September 1942 – 22 May 2019) was an Italian-American former professional basketball player. At a height of 1.91 m (6'3") tall, he played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Colle ...
, an American of Italian heritage, had controversially been naturalised as an Italian a few years prior. Nearly all of those foreigners were American, with Varese's Manuel Raga - from Mexico - a notable exception. The only two clubs without a sponsored name - widely the major source of revenue for clubs - were
Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...
, who had chosen to keep their name intact, and
Pallacanestro Cantù Pallacanestro Cantù, known for sponsorship reasons as Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Cantù, Lombardy. On the European-wide club competition scene, Cantù is second to Real Madrid – agai ...
, whose sponsor
Oransoda Lemonsoda is a brand of Italian carbonated soft drinks created in the 1940s by Milan-based company Saga and currently owned by Royal Unibrew. History The original Lemonsoda flavor was lemon. Oransoda and Pelmosoda, orange and grapefruit-flavore ...
had withdrawn from basketball sponsorship. Ignis Varese, who had won both the domestic league and
cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, c ...
the previous season, was seen as the strong favourite to retain its title, with Simmenthal Milano, All'Onesta' Milano, Virtus Bologna and Fides Napoli cited as their main adversaries. The defending champions had named
Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of S ...
as coach and reinforced a squad already containing Raga, Dino Meneghin, Aldo Ossola and Ottorino Flaborea with former league top-scorer
Paolo Vittori Paolo Vittori (born 31 May 1938) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. In 2006, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. Professional career Vittori was a member of the FIBA European Selection, in 19 ...
, Simmenthal had two arrivals (including
Renzo Bariviera Renzo Bariviera (born 16 February 1949) is a retired Italian professional basketball player. In 2012, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. His elder brother, Vendramino, was an Olympic cyclist. Professional career Barivier ...
) for two departures, with the form of key duo Massimo Masini and Jim Tillman cause for concern, All'Onesta' were counting on American pair Gennari and
Joe Isaac Joseph Warren Isaac (born August 8, 1943), commonly known as Warren Isaac in the United States and Joe Isaac in Italy, is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He had a standout college career at Iona before playing and coac ...
, Virtus Bologna - led by captain Dado Lombardi and
1969 NBA draft The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college ...
fourth-pick Terry Driscoll with recent
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
coach
Nello Paratore Nello as a name may refer to: *Nello Carrara (1900–1993), Italian physicist and founder of the Electromagnetic Wave Research Institute *Nello Celio (1914–1995), Swiss politician representing Canton Ticino *Nello Ciaccheri (1893–1971), Italia ...
at the helm - were seen as the dark horse for the title, with Napoli – minus Vittori – described as having a competitive but aging squad.


Regular season

After nine straight wins to open the season, Varese was undone 73-76 after one overtime by Simmenthal Milano on 11 January 1970, allowing the Milanese to close the gap between the two front runners to two points. The Ignis-sponsored club lost only once more, an 80-88 defeat to
Snaidero Udine Pallalcesto Amatori Udine, better known by the sponsorship name Snaidero Udine, was an Italian professional basketball club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In 2011, following the dissolution of the club, a new team, APU Udine, was founde ...
on 22 March 1970, right before playing
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
in the European Champions Cup. An 82-72 win over Simmenthal during the penultimate game on 6 April took Varese's lead to an unassailable six points over Milano, the only serious contender for the title during a season which saw the holders in near unattainable form, adding the European Champions Cup, Italian Cup and Intercontinental Cup later that year. The last round of the season took part on 12 April, with only honour at stake,
Brill Cagliari Olimpia Cagliari is an Italian amateur basketball club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. It is most famous for the period in the 1970s where, under the name Brill Cagliari, the team played in the first division Lega Basket Serie A, Serie A. History ...
- relegated long before with only two wins - upset Virtus Bologna 81-77 at home to earn their third win, the only notable result as all top-ranked sides won. It was another setback for Virtus, who failed to meet predictions as they finished eighth, far behind both Milano squads and Napoli who placed according to forecasts. Splugen Brau Gorizia, the other promoted side that season besides Cagliari, had seen their relegation confirmed the previous round, despite their player Elnardo Webster leading the league in scoring with 593 points (26.9 per game) to Raga's 558 (25.4 pg).


Standings

Source
Lega Basket


Individual scoring table

''Source: unofficial statistics compiled by Giganti del Basket magazine (official statistics started from the 1975–76 season).''


Italian Cup

Ignis Varese also won the Italian Cup after beating Simmenthal Milano 75-66 in the final, played in Rome on 19 April 1970. The third place game between losing semifinalists saw Fides Napoli down All'Onesta' Milano 95-70.


Championship-winning squad

Ignis Varese 1969–70 Serie A champions * 4 Edoardo Rusconi * 5 Ottorino Flaborea * 6
Livio Paschini Livio is both a masculine Italian given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: *Livio Abramo (1903–1993), Brazilian artist *Livio Agresti (1508–1580), Italian painter *Livio Bendaña Espinoza (born 1935), Nicaragu ...
* 7 Toto Bulgheroni * 8
Giorgio Consonni Giorgio may refer to: * Castel Giorgio, ''comune'' in Umbria, Italy * Giorgio (name), an Italian given name and surname * Giorgio Moroder, or Giorgio, Italian record producer ** ''Giorgio'' (album), an album by Giorgio Moroder * "Giorgio" (song), ...
* 9
Paolo Vittori Paolo Vittori (born 31 May 1938) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. In 2006, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. Professional career Vittori was a member of the FIBA European Selection, in 19 ...
* 10 Aldo Ossola * 11 Dino Meneghin * 13
Claudio Malagoli Claudio is an Italian and Spanish first name. In Portuguese it is accented Cláudio. In Catalan and Occitan it is Claudi, while in Romanian it is Claudiu. Origin and history Claudius was the name of an eminent Roman gens, the most important me ...
* 15 Manuel Raga * Coach:
Aca Nikolić ACA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV series), an Australian television program * Actors Centre Australia, a private dramatic arts school * American Choreography Awards * American Composers Alliance * Am ...
Source
Lega Basket


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1969-70 Lega Basket Serie A Lega Basket Serie A seasons 1
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...