Devotion
Montepaschi Siena head coach: Simone Pianigiani
Simone Pianigiani - Montepaschi SienaWith a second trip to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in only his fifth season as a head coach, Simone Pianigiani of Montepaschi Siena has cemented his status as one of the game's elite tacticians. The native of Siena has spent his entire coaching career with his hometown club, helping build Montepaschi transform itself from an Italian League challenger into the perennial national champion and a serious Euroleague contender. Pianigiani’s achievements in Italy were recognized in 2009 when he was also named coach of the Italian national team.

Pianigiani joined Montepaschi as an assistant coach in 1995 and spent many years working with the club's youth teams. Under his leadership, those junior teams won multiple Italian titles in the early part of last decade. Along the way he learned from the big names on the sidelines for the senior team, including Fabrizio Frates, Cesare Pancotto, Phil Melillo, Ergin Ataman and Carlo Recalcati. Next, Pianigiani tasted success as an assistant coach on the teams that won the 2002 Saporta Cup and advanced to Euroleague Final Fours in 2003 and 2004. He was handed the reins to the first team in 2006 and quickly seized the moment. His first season brought an Italian League crown, just the second in Siena’s history, and the next one ended with the club’s third trip to the Final Four and a successful defense of the Italian League trophy. During the past two seasons, while winning both the Italian League and Italian Cup, Montepaschi demonstrated Pianigiani's emphasis on teamwork, constant hustle and stifling defense. This season, with a host of new players to integrate and injuries to overcome, Pianigiani crafted a balanced attack to go with the team's signature defense as Montepaschi rallied from slow starts in both the Top 16 and playoffs to reach the Final Four again. Having made it through a season full of challenges, Pianigiani is on the doorstep of conquering the biggest challenge of all – the Euroleague title.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Euroleague.net
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SEMIFINALS - FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011
3RD PLACE - SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2011
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DEVOTION

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All-Euroleague team 2010-11

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Dimitris Diamantidis MVP
Final: Maccabi vs. Panathinaikos
3rd place game: Madrid vs. Montepaschi
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Semifinal: Panathinaikos vs. Siena