Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano

EA7 Emporio Armani Milano
Nickname Scarpette Rosse
Little Red Shoes
Leagues Serie A
Eurocup
Founded 1936
History Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano
1936–present
Arena Mediolanum Forum
Arena Capacity 12,500[1]
Location Milan, Italy
Team colors White and Red
         
President Livio Proli
Head coach Jasmin Repeša
Ownership Giorgio Armani
Championships 26 Italian Championships
5 Italian Cups
3 Euroleagues
1 Intercontinental Cup
3 Saporta Cups
2 Korać Cup
1 Triple Crowns
Website olimpiamilano.com
Uniforms
Home
Away
Euroleague

Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, also known as EA7 Emporio Armani Milano after its title sponsor (alternative names: Pallacanestro Olimpia Milan, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan), is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" (Little Red Shoes) because team officials imported red Converse All-Star shoes for players from the United States. The tag line stuck, and the nickname is still used by many fans today.

As per custom in the Italian league, sponsorship has kept the team name changing frequently. From 1936 until 1955 it was called Borletti Milano. From 1956 to 1973 it was renamed Simmenthal. Other famous sponsorships were Billy, Simac, Tracer and Philips in the 1980s. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below.

Olimpia is the most titled basketball club in Italy, having won 26 Italian League championships, 4 Italian National Cups, 3 FIBA European Champions Cups, 1 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, 3 FIBA Saporta Cups, 2 FIBA Korać Cups and many junior titles.

History

Olimpia was founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. The team regularly won the LEGA Basket Serie A championship of Italian basketball in the 1950s and the 1960s with players including Nane Vianello, Sandro Riminucci, Gianfranco Pieri, and Bill Bradley. In the 1970s three teams were fighting across Europe for supremacy: Olimpia Milano, Ignis Varese, and Real Madrid. Pallacanestro Varese and Olimpia Milano were arch-rivals, as the two cities are 25 miles (40 km) apart. While Milano was a frequent Italian League champion, they were unable to win the prestigious European Champions Cup.

Late in the 1970s, the quality of the game declined, but Olimpia Milano still managed to win a Cup Winner's Cup. In the second half of the 1970s the team signed several good players, including the Boselli twins (Franco and Dino), Mike Sylvester, Dino Meneghin, Mike D'Antoni, John Gianelli, Roberto Premier. Bob McAdoo, Joe Barry Carroll, Russ Schoene, Antoine Carr, and Mike Brown. American head coach Dan Peterson led the team back to prominence.

In the 1980s the team was sold to the Gabetti family. During this time, they qualified for nine Serie A championships finals, winning five, with the 1987 team winning the Serie A title, the European Championship (won also in 1988: both finals were won against Maccabi Elite), the Italian Cup and the 1987 Intercontinental Cup. This gave the club the coveted "Triple Crown" and the even rarer "Quadruple Crown".

Led by point guard Sasha Djordjevic, the team won another Korać Cup in 1993. Bepi Stefanel purchased the team franchise in 1994, and signed-up notable European players like Dejan Bodiroga, Gregor Fučka, Sandro De Pol, and Nando Gentile. In 1996, the team won the Italian Cup and its 25th Italian National Championship, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the club.

Team management has been inconsistent as ownership groups from 1998 to 2004; team have included Warren Kidd, Hugo Sconochini, Claudio Coldebella and Petar Naumoski. In 2005 owner Corbelli, which bought the club in 2002 from Sergio Tacchini, is flanked by Adriano Galliani (Managing Director of Italian Football club A.C. Milan), Massimo Moratti (President of rival club Internazionale), NBA star Kobe Bryant, and stylist Giorgio Armani as sponsor with Armani Jeans brand. After difficult years, led by coach Lino Lardo, Olimpia reached the national championship Finals, finally being beaten by Fortitudo Bologna.

On January 25, 2006, in the midst of a disappointing season in the Euroleague and domestically, Djordjevic was named as the team's new coach. He left as coach after the 2006–07 season, but not before securing Olimpia a berth in the 2007–08 Euroleague. In 2008 Giorgio Armani bought the team from Giorgio Corbelli, standing as the only owner, entirely changing the management structure, naming Livio Proli as President and Lucio Zanca as general manager. Piero Bucchi was chosen to coach the new team, leading Olimpia twice to second place in LEGA Basket, being defeated by Montepaschi Siena in both case.

On January 2011, after 23 years, glorious coach Dan Peterson came back from retirement to replace Piero Bucchi as head coach. However, his stint at Olimpia Milano this time was quite short: after failing to reach the championship Finals, on June 9, Olimpia Milano announced Sergio Scariolo as new head coach for the 2011–12 season. The first player signed for the 2011–12 season was Omar Cook, an American-born play maker, who had played the previous season with Power Electronics Valencia. Due to the NBA lockout, Danilo Gallinari went back to his Alma Mater, playing 15 games (8 in the Italian League, 7 in Euroleague): he left the team in December. Sergio Scariolo was replaced by Luca Banchi at the beginning of the 2013–14 season, and the team bought from Montepaschi Siena: David Moss, Kristjan Kangur, and Daniel Hackett.

The team reached the quarterfinals of Euroleague 16 years after its last appearance, but the team lost against the eventual league champions, Maccabi Electra. The team finished in the 1st position the LEGA Basket regular season, and in the 7th game of the playoff's finals, Olimpia won its 26th Italian League championship title, its first after 18 years. Alessandro Gentile, the captain of Olimpia, was named MVP of the finals.

Honours

Domestic competitions

Italian League

Italian Cup

European competitions

FIBA European Champions Cup / Euroleague

FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup / FIBA Saporta Cup

FIBA Korać Cup

International competitions

FIBA Intercontinental Cup

Unofficial

Triple Crown

Players

Current roster

Olimpia Milano roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age
F/C 1 United States McLean, Jamel 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 28 – (1988-04-18)18 April 1988
G 3 Croatia Lafayette, Oliver 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 32 – (1984-05-06)6 May 1984
G/F 5 Italy Gentile, Alessandro 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 23 – (1992-11-12)12 November 1992
G/F 7 Italy Cerella, Bruno 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 29 – (1986-07-30)30 July 1986
PG 9 Lithuania Kalnietis, Mantas 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 29 – (1986-09-06)6 September 1986
F/C 13 Serbia Mačvan, Milan 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 120 kg (265 lb) 26 – (1989-11-16)16 November 1989
C 15 Italy Magro, Daniele 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 109 kg (240 lb) 29 – (1987-04-14)14 April 1987
PG 20 Italy Cinciarini, Andrea 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 29 – (1986-06-21)21 June 1986
G/F 21 United States Sanders, Rakim 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 95 kg (209 lb) 26 – (1989-07-08)8 July 1989
SG 22 United States Jenkins, Charles 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 27 – (1989-02-28)28 February 1989
C 27 Croatia Barać, Stanko 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in) 127 kg (280 lb) 29 – (1986-08-14)14 August 1986
G/F 43 Croatia Simon, Krunoslav 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 30 – (1985-06-24)24 June 1985
C 51 Uruguay Batista, Esteban 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 122 kg (269 lb) 32 – (1983-09-02)2 September 1983
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Italy Mario Fioretti
  • Italy Massimo Cancellieri
Athletic trainer(s)
  • Italy Giustino Danesi

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: January 04, 2016

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Esteban Batista Daniele Magro Stanko Barac
PF Jamel McLean Milan Mačvan
SF Alessandro Gentile Rakim Sanders Bruno Cerella
SG Charles Jenkins Krunoslav Simon
PG Mantas Kalnietis Oliver Lafayette Andrea Cinciarini

Season by season

Season Domestic competitions Cup European competitions
Tier League Pos. Postseason Tier League Result
2006–07 1 Serie A 2 Semifinalist Semifinalist N/A
2007–08 1 Serie A 7 Quarterfinalist
1
Euroleague
RS
2008–09 1 Serie A 6 Runner-up
1
Euroleague
T16
2009–10 1 Serie A 3 Runner-up Quarterfinalist
1
Euroleague
RS
2010–11 1 Serie A 3 Semifinalist Quarterfinalist
1
Euroleague
RS
2011–12 1 Serie A 2 Runner-up Semifinalist
1
Euroleague
T16
2012–13 1 Serie A 4 Quarterfinalist Quarterfinalist
1
Euroleague
RS
2013–14 1 Serie A 1 Champion Quarterfinalist
1
Euroleague
QF
2014–15 1 Serie A 1 Semifinalist Runner-up
1
Euroleague
T16
2015–16 1 Serie A 1 TBD Champion
1
Euroleague
RS

Top performances in European & Worldwide competitions

Season Achievement Notes
Euroleague
1957–58 Quarter-finals eliminated by Honvéd, 80-72 (W) in Milan and 85-95 (L) in Budapest
1962–63 Quarter-finals eliminated by Dinamo Tbilisi, 70-65 (W) in Tbilisi and 68-74 (L) in Milan
1963–64 Semi-finals eliminated by Real Madrid, 82-77 (W) in Milan and 78-101 (L) in Madrid
1965–66 Champions defeated CSKA Moscow 68–57 in the semi-final, defeated Slavia Prague 77–72 in the final of the Final Four in Bologna / Milan
1966–67 Final defeated Slavia Prague 103-97 in the semi-final, lost to Real Madrid 83-91 in the final (Madrid)
1967–68 Semi-finals eliminated by Spartak ZJŠ Brno, 64-63 (W) in Milan, 86-103 (L) in Brno
1972–73 Semi-finals eliminated by Ignis Varèse, 72-97 (L) in Milan, 100-115 (L) in Varese
1982–83 Final lost to Ford Cantù, 68-69 in the final (Grenoble)
1985–86 Semi-final group stage 3rd place in a group with Cibona, Žalgiris, Real Madrid, Maccabi Elite and Limoges
1986–87 Champions defeated Maccabi Elite, 71-69 in the final of European Champions Cup in Lausanne
1987–88 Champions defeated Aris 87-82 in the semi-final, defeated Maccabi Elite 90-84 in the final of the Final Four in Ghent
1989–90 Quarter-finals 5th place in a group with FC Barcelona, Jugoplastika Split, Limoges, Aris, Maccabi Elite, Commodore Den Helder and Lech Poznań
1991–92 Final Four 3rd place in Istanbul, lost to Partizan 75–82 in the semi-final, defeated Estudiantes Caja Postal 99-81 in the 3rd place game
1996–97 Quarter-finals eliminated 2–1 by Smelt Olimpija, 94–90 (W) in Milan, 69–73 (L) in Ljubljana, 61-77 (L) in Milan
2013–14 Quarter-finals eliminated 3-1 by Maccabi Electra, 99-101 (L) and 91-77 (W) in Milan, 63-75 (L) and 66-86 (L) in Tel Aviv
Saporta Cup
1970–71 Champions defeated Spartak Leningrad 56–66 (L) in Leningrad and 71-52 (W) in Milan in the double final of European Cup Winner's Cup
1971–72 Champions defeated Crvena Zvezda 74-70 in the final of European Cup Winner's Cup in Thessaloniki
1975–76 Champions defeated Tours 88-83 in the final of European Cup Winner's Cup in Turin
1976–77 Semi-finals eliminated by Forst Cantù, 78-101 (L) in Cantù and 98-95 (W) in Milan
1983–84 Final lost to Real Madrid 81–82 in the final (Ostend)
1997–98 Final lost to Žalgiris 67–82 in the final (Belgrade)
Korać Cup
1977–78 Semi-finals eliminated by Bosna, 79-76 (W) in Milan and 81-101 (L) in Sarajevo
1984–85 Champions defeated Ciao Crem Varèse, 91–78 in the final of Korać Cup in Brussels
1988–89 Semi-finals eliminated by Wiwa Vismara Cantù, 81-95 (L) in Cantù and 70-65 (W) in Milan
1992–93 Champions defeated Virtus Roma, 95-90 (W) in Rome and 106-91 (W) in Milan in the double finals of Korać Cup
1993–94 Semi-finals eliminated by Stefanel Trieste, 79-96 (L) in Trieste and 103-96 (W) in Milan
1994–95 Final lost to Alba Berlin, 87-87 (D) in Milan and 79-85 (L) in Berlin
1995–96 Final lost to Efes Pilsen, 68-76 (L) in Istanbul and 77-70 (W) in Milan
Eurocup
2015–16 Quarter-finals eliminated by Dolomiti Energia Trento, 73-83 (L) in Trento and 79-92 (L) in Milan
Intercontinental Cup
1967 3rd place 3rd place in Rome, lost to Ignis Varèse 70–79 in the semi-final, defeated Corinthians 90-89 in the 3rd place game
1968 3rd place 3rd place in Philadelphia, lost to Real Madrid 84–93 in the semi-final, defeated Botafogo 82-54 in the 3rd place game
1983 5th place 5th place with a 2-3 record in a league tournament in Buenos Aires
1987 Champions defeated FC Barcelona 100-84 in the final of Intercontinental Cup in Milan
McDonald's Championship
1987 3rd place 3rd place in a three teams Tournament in Milwaukee with Milwaukee Bucks and Soviet Union
1989 3rd place 3rd place in Rome, lost to Jugoplastika Split 97-102 in the semi-final, defeated FC Barcelona 136-104 in the 3rd place game

Matches against NBA teams

6 October 2015
United States Boston Celtics 12491 Italy Olimpia Milano

Sponsorship names

Logo of Armani Jeans Milano (2004-2011)

Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:[2]

Notable players

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.