Pallacanestro Varese

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Pallacanestro Varese Spa

Founded	1946
Arena	Palaignis
Team History	Pallacanestro Varese (1961-present)
Team Colors	Red, and White
Lega Basket Serie A	6 (1961, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1999)
European Championship Cup	5 (1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976)
Intercontinental Cup	3 (1966, 1970, 1973)
Owner	Gianfranco Castiglioni
Head Coach	Ruben Magnano
Mascots	"L'elefante"

Pallacanestro Varese is an Italian basketball club founded in 1946.

1 History
2 List of former sponsorship names
3 Current roster
4 Famous players
5 External links

[edit] History

Basketball landed in Varese in 1946, thanks to the birth of the historical club, whose name was suddenly Pallacanestro Varese. The first sponsors appeared only in 1954 including Storm, the great historical and famous Ignis, followed by Emerson, Turisanda, Cagiva, Star, Ciaocrem, Divarese, Ranger, Metis until the current one, Whirlpool; but Varese is also famous because of the choice made by the club in the mid-nineties about playing without a main sponsor and choosing a franchise name Varese Roosters.

10 Italian titles are displayed in the Pallacanestro Varese's showcase -1961, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978 and the last one, conquered 21 years later than the ninth one, 1999-, that make Varese the third most winning team of the Italian League ever after Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna.

As it is shown by its roll of honours, Varese lived its greatest age in the seventies, when it was able to play ten Euroleague finals in a row, winning 5 of them in 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976. Between 1970 and 1975 the club was named Ignis Varese. The golden age had begun some years before, as Varese conquered the Intercontinental Cup in 1966, repeating it 4 and 7 years later in its greatest decade in 1970 and 1973. Varese succeeded in doing the great enterprise, the Grande Slam, winning all the trophies available in 1973 with famous Professor Aca Nikolić seating on the bench. Varese also won two Cups of the Cups, 1967 and 1980, and four Italian Cups, in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1973.

Varese's great age ended in the early nineties, when the team dropped down to the second division. Soon, the club took its revenge coming up once again to the Italian top league, and after 5 years spent as the real team to watch in the Italian playoffs, it succeeded in winning its historical 10th title, the one that gives the star on the jersey in 1999, with Italian national team's coach Carlo Recalcati on bench. Varese has never repeated that triumph so far, but the great resound of that success is still echoing all over Italy.

Ignis Varese in 1973.

[edit] List of former sponsorship names

Storm
Ignis
Mobilgirgi
Emerson
Turisanda
Cagiva
Star
Ciaocrem
Divarese
Ranger
Varese Roosters
Metis
Whirlpool

[edit] Current roster

5		Aleksandar Capin	Point guard
6		Gregor Hafnar	Small forward
7		Rolando Howell	Center
8		Delonte Holland	Small forward
9		Alessandro De Pol	Power forward
10		Giacomo Galanda	Power Forward
12		Billy Keys	Point guard
14		Keith Carter	Shooting guard
15	\|	Gabriel Fernandez	Center
16		Salvatore Genovese	Shooting guard
18		Riccardo Antonelli	Small forward
20		Francesco Gergati	point guard
21		Andrea Marusic	Shooting guard
22		Francis Julius Isaac	Small forward