Gathered players, coaches, technicians, but also referees and scorers of yesterday and today In the book “APG 1960 – a story in GialloBlu” the story of the glorious club
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There have been so many players (male and female), coaches, technicians (including some referees and scorers from Grado) from past and present times, who participated in the celebrations dedicated to the sixty years of Grado Basketball.
The glorious life of the company is contained in a 164-page large-format book entitled “APG 1960 – a story in GialloBlu”, born from an idea of Gianmario Mittino and Maurizio Cacciavillani and edited by the latter who carried out an important research work , including a copy of the most significant articles published in “Il Piccolo”.
A story that is summarized precisely by what Cacciavillani himself wrote, a story of passion between Grado and the Ball in the basket … that starts from afar. The first group of basket ball players in Grado was organized in 1931.
They were probably athletes of the Ausonia rowing club, as well as some young enthusiasts who played under the name Avanguardisti Grado. In fact, the debut on the Monfalcone field of the “ball to the basket” team from Grado is dated January 31, 1932.
Then we talk about basketball again in Grado in 1954, initially mainly in the parish context, with a team that seems to have participated in the CSI tournament. In 1960 – in February – a group of enterprising enthusiasts, a bit dreamers and visionaries, led by Gianmario Mittino, attracted and intrigued by the emerging new sport, decided to found the Grado basketball association. The founding members are the same athletes who tried their hand at the then skating field in Viale Dante between the first beach entrance and the Ville Bianchi, namely Gianfranco Scaramuzza, Gianfranco Saccavino, Gianmario Mittino, Cesare Augusto Morocco, Edi Thomann, Vittorio Bellan, Noris Morocco, Pino Raugna, Rino Dall’Are, Guido Dal Dan and Gary Disette, Bruno Scaramuzza.
After months of friendly matches, it is the participation in the 1st division 60/61 championship that marks the official start of the activity that unfolded through successes, promotions, but also relegations and with the establishment of the youth sectors.
«In my personal recipe book – says the president Angelo Lugnan – under the heading happiness, you can read only three ingredients: a child, a basket and a ball in wedges. Nothing else is needed. The procedure is as simple as it is effective. The ball is placed in the child’s hands and the basket is shown to him. Nothing else is needed ».
And we come to today, celebrating 60 years in a big way by taking the ball back in his hands, for a challenge in yellow and blue, in this case on one side the yellows and on the other the blue. For the record, the latter won by 64 to 62.
All happy, all happy and above all really many memories emerged during the dinner at the Da Franco restaurant in which a ball in wedges with everyone’s signatures was delivered by Franco Meneghel to Gianmario Mittino who can be well defined the father of Grado basketball. –
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