Ferdinando Gentile, commonly known as Nando Gentile (born 1 January 1967), is an Italian former professional

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 ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. Playing as a point guard, Gentile had a successful pro club playing career, amassing a slew of team trophies won in Italy and Greece, including the EuroLeague title. He also played with the senior

Italian national team The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...

, with whom he won a silver medal at the

EuroBasket 1991 The 1991 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1991, was the 27th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Italy between 24 and 29 June 1991. Eight national teams entered the eve ...

Professional career

Gentile, a

Caserta Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial '' comune'' and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Ca ...

native, started his career at only 15, with local side

Juvecaserta Basket Sporting Club JuveCaserta (sometimes spelled Juve Caserta), also known as Decò Caserta after its title sponsor, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Caserta, Campania. The team currently plays in the Serie A2, the second tier of Ita ...

, playing under head coach

Bogdan Tanjević Bogdan Tanjević ( sr-cyr, Богдан Тањевић; born 13 February 1947), nicknamed "Boša" ( it, Boscia) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. He is best known for being KK Bosna's head coach when the club beca ...

, in 1982. He played in a few games, as the team earned

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

from the Italian second division Serie A2, to the Italian first division LBA, at the end of the season. Gentile soon became a "big-time player" for Caserta, helping them qualify for the

1983–84 FIBA Korać Cup The 1983–84 FIBA Korać Cup was the 13th edition of FIBA's Korać Cup basketball competition. The French Orthez defeated the Yugoslav Crvena zvezda in the final on March 15, 1984 in Paris, France. The was the third consecutive year in which a Fren ...

, which was their first participation in a European-wide competition. Caserta and Gentile reached the final of the

1985–86 FIBA Korać Cup First round Second round *The first leg was suspended in minute 9 (with Olympique Antibes winning 14–17) when one of the basket boards in Hagen's court was broken; although a replacement was quickly installed, ...

, but lost to Virtus Roma. In 1988, the team won the

Italian Cup Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, Gentile's first trophy. This allowed Caserta to play in the 1988–89 Saporta Cup, where they reached the final, losing in overtime to Real Madrid. His defining feat during his Caserta career was his participation in the 1991 Italian League Serie A championship that was won by the

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

ns. He scored 28 points in the finals game 5 against

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

. Gentile moved to

Stefanel Trieste Pallacanestro Trieste 2004 is an Italian professional basketball club based in Trieste. They play in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) since the 2018–19 LBA season, 2018–19 season. The PalaTrieste, Allianz Dome serves as the club's home arena. Hi ...

in 1993, reuniting with head coach

. He reached the

1993–94 FIBA Korać Cup The 1993–94 FIBA Korać Cup season occurred between September 8, 1993, and March 16, 1994. The final was played between PAOK B.C., PAOK Bravo and Pallacanestro Trieste, Stefanel Trieste. Team allocation The labels in the parentheses show how ...

final with the side. When owner Bepi Stefanel left Trieste, to go to Olimpia Milano in 1994, he also moved the whole squad to Milan, including Gentile and Tanjević. Gentile captained the team, as they won the Italian double (winning the Italian League and Italian Cup) in the 1995–96 season. They also nearly won the small triple crown, but they lost in the

Korać Cup Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include: * Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people * Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager * Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player * Vitomir ...

final. He played in two other European-wide finals with Milan, the 1995 Korać Cup, and the 1998 EuroCup, but he lost both, whilst in 1997, he suffered a knee injury, as Milan lost in the EuroLeague quarterfinals. In 1998, with Milan on the verge of getting dismantled, Gentile signed with Panathinaikos, in Greece. With the

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

side, he would win three consecutive

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

championships, in as many years. Furthermore, he helped the Greeks win the

1999–2000 FIBA EuroLeague The 1999–2000 FIBA EuroLeague was the 43rd installment of the European top-tier level professional club competition for basketball clubs (now called simply EuroLeague). It began on September 23, 1999, and ended on April 20, 2000. The competit ...

, by beating

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

, in the final. In the next season, he reached the final of the SuproLeague (the renamed official successor to the FIBA EuroLeague), but this time Panathinaikos lost to Maccabi. Gentile returned to Italy in 2001, briefly playing with Snaidero Udine, before finishing the season with the Italian second division side

Pallacanestro Reggiana Pallacanestro Reggiana, also known for sponsorship reasons as UnaHotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as of the 2022-23 season. History 1970s Pallacanestro ...

. Following that, he had a brief stay at

Montepaschi Siena Mens Sana 1871 Basket is an Italian professional basketball club based in Siena. It is a section of the sports club Polisportiva Mens Sana, founded in 1871. Under the name Montepaschi Siena, derived from sponsor Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, ...

in the Serie A, playing with them in 5 games. He returned to JuveCaserta, which was at that time playing in the Italian third division

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had been ...

, to play the 2003–04 season. After playing with the Italian amateur side, Artus Maddaloni, the next year, he retired in 2005.

National team career

Gentile played with the Italian Under-18 junior national team at the 1986 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship and with the Italian Under-19 junior national team at the 1987

FIBA Under-19 World Cup The FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup (formerly FIBA Under-19 World Championship) is the under-19 men's world basketball championship organised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). From its inauguration in 1979, until 2007, it was ...

. After having made his debut for the senior men's

Italian national basketball team The Italy men's national basketball team ( it, Nazionale di pallacanestro dell'Italia) represents Italy in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). Italy has qualified for 38 EuroBa ...

in 1984, he took part in

EuroBasket 1987 The 1987 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1987, was the 25th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Greece between 3 and 14 June 1987. Twelve national teams entered the e ...

EuroBasket 1993 The 1993 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1993, was the 28th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Germany between 22 June and 4 July 1993. Sixteen national teams entered ...

, and

EuroBasket 1995 The 1995 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1995, was the 29th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 1996 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to ea ...

. With Italy, he was a silver medalist at the

. He also played at the

1993 Mediterranean Games The XII Mediterranean Games, commonly known as the 1993 Mediterranean Games, were the 12th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Languedoc-Roussillon, France, from 16 June to 27 June 1993, where 2,598 athletes (1,994 men and 604 women) fro ...

, winning gold. An October 1996, qualification game for the

EuroBasket 1997 The 1997 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1997, was the 30th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 1998 FIBA World Championship, giving a ber ...

, was his last game with the Italian national team.

Coaching career

Gentile next started a coaching career, with the Italian second division club,

Andrea Costa Imola Andrea Costa Imola is an Italian professional basketball team based in Imola, Emilia-Romagna. The side is playing in the second division Serie A2 Basket, Serie A2 as of the 2015-16 season. History Andrea Costa Basket was founded on 4 October 1967, ...

, for the 2006–07 season. However, he did not finish the season coaching the club, after he bad results. He joined Virtus Roma as an assistant coach in 2008. When the team's

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Jasmin Repeša Jasmin Repeša (born 1 June 1961) is a Bosnian-born Croatian professional basketball coach and former player whose last coached team was Fortitudo Bologna of the Italian Serie A. Repeša has won numerous pro club competitions during his head coa ...

, resigned after a few months, Gentile was appointed the team's new head coach, in January 2008. Though he was confirmed as the club's head coach for the 2009–10 season, he resigned in December 2009. A coaching stint with

Veroli Veroli ( la, Verulae) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, central Italy, in the Latin Valley. History Veroli (''Verulae'') became a Roman municipium in 90 BC. It became the seat of a bishopric in 743 AD, and was occupied ...

, in the 2011–12 season, remains to date, his last coaching experience.

Personal

Nando's two sons,

Stefano Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ac ...

and

Alessandro Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Baricco ...

, are also professional basketball players, and both have also played with Nando's former team,

. Alessandro was also the captain of Milano, and he also played with Panathinaikos, another of Nando's former teams.

Honours

Team

Italian senior national team

* EuroBasket: 1991 Italy * Mediterranean Games: 1993 Languedoc-Roussillon

Club

* EuroLeague:

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

(

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

). *3×

: Champion (1999,

, 2001). *2× Italian LBA League: Champion (1991, 1996). *2×

: Winner (1988, 1996).

References

External links

Euroleague.net Profile
(archive)
Italian League Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gentile, Ferdinando 1967 births Living people Italian basketball coaches Italian men's basketball players Italian expatriate basketball people in Greece Juvecaserta Basket players Lega Basket Serie A players Mens Sana Basket players Olimpia Milano players Pallalcesto Amatori Udine players Pallacanestro Reggiana players Panathinaikos B.C. players People from Caserta Point guards Veroli Basket coaches Pallacanestro Virtus Roma coaches Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Italy Mediterranean Games medalists in basketball Competitors at the 1993 Mediterranean Games Sportspeople from the Province of Caserta