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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

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 * Coac ...

. Playing as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

, Gentile had a successful pro club playing career, amassing a slew of team trophies won in Italy and Greece, including the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

title. He also played with the senior Italian national team, with whom he won a silver medal at the EuroBasket 1991.

Professional career

Gentile, a

Caserta Caserta ( ; ) is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. An important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city, Caserta is located 36 kilometres north of Naples on the edge of the Campanian p ...

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 B1, the third tier of Ita ...

, playing under head coach

Bogdan Tanjević Bogdan Tanjević ( sr-Cyrl, Богдан Тањевић; born 13 February 1947), nicknamed "Boša" () is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. He is best known for being KK Bosna's head coach when the club became the t ...

, 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. This was the third consecutive year in which a Fr ...

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

1985–86 FIBA Korać Cup The 1985–86 FIBA Korać Cup was the 15th edition of FIBA's FIBA Korać Cup, Korać Cup basketball competition. The Italian Banco di Roma Virtus, Banco di Roma defeated the Italian Mobilgirgi Caserta in the final. Three of the final four teams were ...

, but lost to

Virtus Roma Virtus Roma 1960, commonly known as Virtus Roma, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Rome, Lazio. The club, named Pallacanestro Virtus Roma competed in the first division of Italian basketball, the LBA, for decades until 2020, whe ...

. In 1988, the team won the

Italian Cup Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

, 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 Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

. His defining feat during his Caserta career was his participation in the 1991 Italian League Serie A championship that was won by the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

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 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 competition was won by PAOK Bravo in a two-legged final against the Italian League club Stefanel Trieste. PAOK won both at home and away, by 9 poi ...

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 Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...

, in Greece. With the

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

side, he would win three consecutive

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

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 professional club basketball system, European top-tier level professional sports club, club competition for basketball clubs (now called simply EuroLeague). It began on Septe ...

, by beating

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () 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 as football, basketball, j ...

, 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 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 founded ...

, before finishing the season with the Italian second division side

Pallacanestro Reggiana Pallacanestro Reggiana, also simply known as Reggiana or Reggio Emilia, currently 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 ...

. Following that, he had a brief stay at

Montepaschi Siena Mens Sana Basketball Siena, also known as simply Mens Sana, 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 spon ...

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 (), officially known as 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 b ...

, to play the 2003–04 season. After playing with the Italian

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

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 The 1986 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball competition held in Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation o ...

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 () represents Italy in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). Italy has qualified for 38 EuroBasket tournaments, winning two gold medals ( ...

in 1984, he took part in EuroBasket 1987,

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 entere ...

, 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 e ...

. With Italy, he was a silver medalist at the EuroBasket 1991. 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) fr ...

, 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 b ...

, 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 as of the 2015-16 season. History Andrea Costa Basket was founded on 4 October 1967, with the name a ...

, 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 responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Jasmin Repeša Jasmin Repeša (born 1 June 1961) is a Bosnian-born Croatian professional basketball coach and former player currently serving as head coach for Trapani Shark of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A. Repeša has won numerous pro club competitions d ...

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

, 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 ach ...

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

. Alessandro was also the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of Milano, and he also played with

, another of Nando's former teams.

Honours

Team

Italian senior national team

EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...

: 1991 Italy *

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fi ...

: 1993 Languedoc-Roussillon

Club

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

(

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

). *3×

: Champion (1999,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

). *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 Basketball players with retired numbers 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 Sportspeople 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 20th-century Italian sportsmen