Virtus Pallacanestro History: Episode 48

1994/95 season. Virtus maintains the main backbone, Danilovic, the national players Carera, Binelli, Moretti and Coldebella, the former national players Brunamonti and Morandotti and adds three pieces. The international Alessandro Abbio arrives, having already been purchased the previous year and left for a further season in Turin. There is the new American Joe Binion, with 7 Italian seasons behind him, already coached by Bucci in Livorno, with that championship lost at the last second. Finally the tenth is Valentino Battisti, who after a long career around Italy trained alone.

The exchange of shirts between Brunamonti and Danilovic

The Italian Cup ends early for Buckler, eliminated in September in the quarterfinals by Benetton. In October friendly match with Charlotte Hornets, an honorable 107-114. On December 4, Virtus – Montecatini, before the return leg, remains engraved in history because it began with an anomalous presentation of the teams. Gigi Terrieri’s voice chanted: “With number 4 Danilovic, with number 5 Brunamonti…” in fact on that occasion the two champions exchanged shirts, as a sign of mutual admiration. A few years later the two shirts will both be retired and will join Villalta’s 10.

Virtus’ Europe ends in Greece again

In the cup group, a similar finish to the previous year, with four teams at 16 points from third to sixth place. The separate ranking says Virtus fourth and qualified. Greece again, this time Panathinaikos. Virtus won game one well at home, lost the first game in Athens 63-55 (Binion’s 24 rebounds, still a club record, were not enough) and were overwhelmed 95-56 in the game.

Virtus overtakes Fortitudo in the clock phase

In the championship on the last day (in reality it is a recovery of the one postponed due to the killing of the fan Claudio Spagnolo outside the stadium in Genoa) Fortitudo beat Virtus 84-83 and reached them (Danilovic missed the last shot, a rarity), but Black Vs were first because in the first leg derby they won 85-81 with 26 points from Moretti who disguised himself as Sasha, absent due to disqualification. There is the clock phase in which Virtus plays the derby at home, winning it. F also loses another match and in the end Bucci’s men have a four-point advantage.

Virtus’s thirteenth championship arrives in the playoffs

On 12 April Danilovic flies to Zaragoza to collect the Fiba award for best European player. Round trip in the same day and arrival in Bologna three hours before match one of the quarter-finals against Roma, to be played without Abbio due to an ankle problem. So Virtus suffers a lot but wins, then repeats the success in the capital. From this year the best-of-five semi-finals and against Milan are all clear victories at home, and only in game five does Virtus risk something in the final. Final against Treviso who eliminated Fortitudo 3-1 (that one interrupted a series of 19 consecutive victories for the Trevisos) and is 3-0 like two years before. +16, +6 in Treviso, where Moretti breaks down, +13 in race three. Thirteenth title, third consecutive. The student shield also arrives.

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