The Palatitian has finally found his Virtus Roma. And experiencing firsthand the best evening of Roman basketball for four years now has been an honor and a privilege for a few close friends. Few, if we want to say that 2500 people are few.
At the beginning of this season, the Palatiziano reopened its doors after almost six years of inactivity, but had never recorded such a high number of spectators. And to say that 1000 places are still unusable due to endless bureaucratic procedures, otherwise there would certainly have been more.
We would definitely have been more because Rome craves basketball. Rome loves basketball. This is demonstrated by the always full pitches in every corner of the city and the dedicated events, led by the Bronx of Primavalle and the Colle Oppio pitch in front of the Colosseum. This is demonstrated by the very high turnout of the public at the Celebrity Game organized by the artist Baruz every summer. This was demonstrated by the affection for the Scalo San Lorenzo pitch, Scalo Playground, a place refurbished by Red Bull to make it one of the best pitches in the world and then brutally mistreated by the municipal bodies, who preferred to boycott the organizers of the wonderful summer evenings of basketball and music on the pitch due to “too much noise”.
There has always been a before and an after in the history of Roman basketball. There was coach Valerio Bianchini’s glorious catch-all Banco Roma, there was Il Messaggero, there were the years of Larry Wright, Rick Mahorn, Carlton Myers, David Hawkins, Dejan Bodiroga, Dino Radja, by Hugo Sconochini, by Gigi Datome. There was the unforgettable Davide Ancillotto, Stefano Sbarra and Alessandro Tonolli, there was that scudetto which vanished by a whisker against Siena. There was the Euroleague, but also failure in 2020.
Zoffoli and Tonolli, at the head of the rebirth
And then there was the rebirth, the new course that found its lifeblood in Captain Tonolli and President Maurizio Zoffoli. Two men who imagined the future, then saw it concrete before their eyes and finally planned it with meticulousness and investment. The fans immediately noticed this project and created a small but passionate organized group that has been singing incessantly since 2021, while on Facebook the page has now reached 2800 units.
The evening of February 18, 2024 represented the new turning point in the history of Virtus Roma 1960. For every “before” there is always an “after”, and today that “after” in the minds of all Romans is the promotion to Serie A in the fewest number of seasons possible. For now, however, let us enjoy the joy of basketball, brutally torn away from the city that was the birthplace, among others, of the magician Andrea Bargnani. Let us gloat over the intoxicating plays of Gaston Whelan, the Argentine who decided to give up European competitions to embrace a project as ambitious as the one set up by owner Zoffoli alongside GVM. Let us scream with joy at the triples of Giacomi, Rocchi and Valentini, the power dunks of Fokou and the freshness of Bobby Banach and Pieradriele Zoffoli, the future of Roman and Italian basketball. Let us admire the experience of seasoned players like Rocchi, captain Casale and “Friso” Frisari, one of the most electrifying streetballers on the Italian scene.
But above all, let us enjoy our Palatiziano, a temple of local basketball, finally home of the Rome team par excellence: Virtus Roma 1960.
2024-02-21 06:18:48
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