Fortitudo – Cremona

Italy - Serie A2, Round 23

11/02/2024 18:00 CET

The clock phase of the Legadue basketball championship is underway. Fortitudo Bologna will host Juvi Ferraroni Cremona on Sunday at 6 PM, a team coached by Luca Bechi that impressively finished fifth in the Green Group standings, a feat never achieved in their two years in the league. Hence, Fortitudo, certainly favored due to their second-place finish in the regular season and home-court advantage, must be wary of an opponent that has been pleasantly surprising. Attilio Caja, with a fully available and in top condition roster, has already made it clear to the organization that if the season's goal shifts from the playoffs to promotion, one or perhaps two high-caliber signings will be necessary. In their last game against Verona, which went into overtime and cost them the top spot, it was evident that the roster depth was an issue, with the 35-year-old Pietro Aradori forced to play 41 minutes. Nonetheless, he delivered an excellent performance, as usual, being the team's top scorer with 18.2 points per game, well ahead of the foreign players Ogden, with 15.5, and Freeman, with 14. Aradori is indeed valued in Legadue as if he were an American player. The contributions of Bolpin with 10 points and Fantinelli with 9.6 are also crucial. Fantinelli, a tall point guard, excels at taking his counterparts to the post, causing them trouble. The gap between the bench and the starting five is significant, with five players holding the keys to the team and the rest playing supporting roles. This is Fortitudo's real limitation if they aim for Serie A1. In their last game, Juvi Cremona was defeated by Torino, but it does not overshadow their excellent season performance, particularly thanks to Vincent Shahid, who averages 20.4 points per game and 2.8 assists. Tekele Cotton, another guard, contributes 12 points per game. The support from teammates like Tortu, with 14 points and 5.6 rebounds per match, the Italo-Argentinian Bernardo Musso with 10, and the young Sabatino with 9.5, is significant. Others like Benetti, Vincini, Magro, and Costi can also make notable contributions. The team perfectly embodies their coach's basketball philosophy, scoring 87.5 points per game while allowing 85.9 to their opponents. Fortitudo, mirroring their coach's focus, emphasizes defense, scoring 76.5 points per game and conceding just 71. The home-court advantage at Paladozza in Bologna is significant, intimidating many teams.