2008-09 Club Profile: Orlandina Basket
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 As an ambitious newcomer to European competition, Orlandina Basket of Italy brings a unique level of excitement to the 2008-09 Eurocup. Orlandina Basket will be the first Sicilian team to ever play in a Europe, culminating a long, three-decade effort. The club played in regional leagues from its founding in 1978 until the team's current management took control in 1996 and saw it promoted twice consecutively.
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Orlandina Basket Roster 2008-09
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| Name |
Pos.
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Height
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| Tyus Edney |
G
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1.78
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| Gabriele Ganeto |
G
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2.00
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| Klaudio Ndoja |
F
|
1.97
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| Anthony Binetti |
G
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1.86
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| Phil Martin |
C
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2.02
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| Samuel Haanpaa |
G
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2.03
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| Simone Flamini |
G
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1.90
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| Francesco Orsini |
G
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1.90
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| Drake Diener |
G
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1.96
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| Adam Wojcik |
C
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2.07
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| Niklas Caner-Medley |
F
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2.02
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| Greg Brunner |
F
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2.01
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| Romeo Sachetti |
Head Coach
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Former Italian national team playmaker Alessandro Fantozzi - for whom the club's arena is now named - joined Orlandina in 1998 and carried its goals forward by securing promotion to Italy's second division within three seasons. In 2004, led by budding star Terrel McIntyre, now an all-Euroleague first team member, Orlandina Basket became just the fifth team from Sicily to advance to Italy's first division. Despite fielding veteran squads, Orlandina Basket had to survive relegation battles for two seasons before experiencing a breakthrough in 2007-08. With legend Gianmarco Pozzecco giving his all in his final season before retirement, Orlandina Basket reached the Italian Cup quarterfinals, finished 19-15 for sixth place in the Italian League regular season and earned a playoff berth for the first time. Even though the season ended in the playoff quarterfinals, it couldn't diminish an extraordinary season for the proud Sicilian club. To get its roster ready for the 2008-09 Eurocup, Orlandina Basket was one of the busiest clubs in Europe this summer. Respected veteran Tyus Edney will replace Pozzecco at point guard, while swingman Drake Deiner, who went from Orlandina Basket to Montepaschi Siena and the Euroleague Final Four during last season, returns as a main scoring threat. Other reenforcements include swingmen Philip Martin and Simone Flamini, power players Nik Caner-Medley and Greg Brunner, as well as guards Gabriele Ganeto, Toni Binetti and Samuel Haanpaa. They join holdovers Adam Wojcik, Francesco Orsini, Colin Falls and Claudio Ndoja on a new, diverse roster that will make Orlandina Basket an unpredictable factor in the Eurocup season.
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Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Eurocupbasketball.com
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