Pallacanestro Varese

Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian first division LBA.

Pallacanestro Varese
Pallacanestro Varese logo
LeaguesLBA
FIBA Europe Cup
Founded1945 (1945)
HistoryPallacanestro Varese
(1946–present)
ArenaPalasport Lino Oldrini
Capacity5,107
LocationVarese, Italy
Team colorsWhite, Red
   
CEOLuis Scola
PresidentAntonio Bulgheroni
Head coachTom Bialaszewski
OwnershipLuis Scola, Varese nel cuore s.c. a r.l., Il Basket Siamo Noi
Championships10 Italian Leagues
4 Italian Cups
1 Italian Supercup
3 Intercontinental Cups
5 EuroLeagues
2 Saporta Cups
Websitepallacanestrovarese.it

For past club sponsorship names, see sponsorship names.

History
Varese captain Ottorino Flaborea lifts the FIBA European Champions Cup trophy after defeating CSKA Moscow in the final at Sarajevo's Skenderija on 4 April 1970—the first of the club's five European titles during the 1970s.

Basketball was introduced in Varese in 1945, with the creation of the historical club, Pallacanestro Varese. The first sponsors were introduced 8 years later in 1954, including Storm and Ignis, followed by Emerson, Turisanda, Cagiva, Star, Ciaocrem, Divarese, Ranger, Metis, Whirlpool, and the most recent, Cimberio. Varese is also famous due to the lack of its having a main sponsor in the mid-1990s (something unusual in the Italian basketball league), and the choice of its franchise name, the Varese Roosters.

Since their creation, Pallancanestro Varese has won 10 Italian first-tier level LBA titles, in the years 1961, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, and their last Italian League title, won 21 years after the previous title, in 1999. With 10 titles, Pallacanestro Varese is the third most winning team ever in the Italian League, after Olimpia Milano and Virtus Bologna.

As it is shown by its roll of honors, Varese was extremely competitive in the 1970s, when the club played in the European-wide first-tier level FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague), and played in ten finals in a row, winning 5 of them, in the years 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1976. Between 1970 and 1975, the club was named Ignis Varese. What was the club's golden age had begun some years before, as Varese conquered the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 1966, and repeated the same title 4 and 7 years later, in the middle of the club's greatest decade in 1970 and 1973. Varese accomplished the great feat of winning the Triple Crown, winning all the trophies available in 1973, with the legendary Professor Aca Nikolić as the team's head coach. Varese also won two championships of the European-wide first-tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup, in 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 Italian second division. Soon, the club took its revenge, coming up once again to the Italian top-tier level league, and after 5 years time became the real team to watch in the Italian League's playoffs, as it succeeded in winning its historical 10th Italian League title in 1999, with Carlo Recalcati (who later coached the Italian national team), leading the way as the club's head coach. Varese has never repeated that triumph so far, but that success is still remembered to this day. Varese has been trying to return to the top of the Italian League and European-wide competitions in the years since.

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Openjobmetis Varese roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.Age
PG 0 United States Shahid, Vinnie 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 86 kg (190 lb) 25 – (1998-05-13)13 May 1998
C 2 United States Cauley-Stein, Willie 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 109 kg (240 lb) 30 – (1993-08-18)18 August 1993
C 6 Italy Ulaneo, Scott 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 102 kg (225 lb) 25 – (1998-06-27)27 June 1998
G 8 Italy Woldetensae, Tomas 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 25 – (1998-04-30)30 April 1998
G 11 Italy Moretti, Davide 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 81 kg (179 lb) 25 – (1998-03-25)25 March 1998
PG 13 Italy Librizzi, Matteo 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 70 kg (154 lb) 21 – (2002-04-06)6 April 2002
F 18 Italy Virginio, Nicolò 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 20 – (2003-03-18)18 March 2003
G 21 Canada Hanlan, Olivier 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 86 kg (190 lb) 30 – (1993-02-15)15 February 1993
SF 22 United States McDermott, Sean 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 88 kg (194 lb) 26 – (1996-11-03)3 November 1996
C 37 Italy Ukeke, Leonardo 2.12 m (6 ft 11 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 20 – (2003-07-16)16 July 2003
F 44 United States Brown, Gabe 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 94 kg (207 lb) 23 – (2000-03-05)5 March 2000
Head coach
  • United States Tom Bialaszewski
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured
Updated: July 31, 2023

Depth chart
Pos. Starting 5 Bench
C
PF
SF
SG
PG

(colours: Italian or homegrown players; foreign players; young players)

Season by season
Season Tier League Pos. Italian Cup European competitions
2004–05 1 Serie A 14th
2005–06 1 Serie A 10th
2006–07 1 Serie A 7th
2007–08 1 Serie A 18th
2008–09 2 Serie A2 1st
2009–10 1 Serie A 11th
2010–11 1 Serie A 8th
2011–12 1 Serie A 8th
2012–13 1 Serie A 3rd
2013–14 1 Serie A 10th 1 Euroleague
QR1
2 Eurocup
RS
2014–15 1 Serie A 11th
2015–16 1 LBA 9th 3 FIBA Europe Cup
RU
2016–17 1 LBA 12th 3 Champions League
RS
2017–18 1 LBA 6th
2018–19 1 LBA 9th
2019–20 1 LBA 10th
2020–21 1 LBA 14th
2021–22 1 LBA 12th

Honours

Total titles: 25

Palasport Lino Oldrini
Adrian Banks

Domestic competitions
Winners (10): 1960–61, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1998–99
Runners-up (10): 1948–49, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1989–90
Winners (4): 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73
Runners-up (5): 1971–72, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1998–99, 2012–13
Winners (1): 1999
Runners-up (1): 2013

European competitions
Winners (5): 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76
Runners-up (5): 1970–71, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79
Semifinalists (1): 1964–65
Winners (2): 1966–67, 1979–80
Semifinalists (2): 1967–68, 1980–81
Runners-up (1): 1984–85
Semifinalists (1): 1985–86
Runners-up (1): 2015–16

Worldwide competitions
Winners (3): 1966, 1970, 1973
Runners-up (4): 1967, 1974, 1976, 1977
3rd place (1): 1979
4th place (1): 1978
4th place (1): 1999

Individual club awards
Winners (2): 1969–70, 1972–73

International record
Main article: Pallacanestro Varese in European and worldwide competitions
Season Achievement Notes
EuroLeague
1964–65 Semi-finals eliminated by CSKA Moscow, 57–58 (L) in Varese and 67–69 (L) in Moscow
1969–70 Champions defeated CSKA Moscow, 79–74 in the final of European Champions Cup in Sarajevo
1970–71 Final lost to CSKA Moscow, 53–67 in the final (Antwerp)
1971–72 Champions defeated Jugoplastika, 70–69 in the final of European Champions Cup in Tel Aviv
1972–73 Champions defeated CSKA Moscow, 71–66 in the final of European Champions Cup in Liège
1973–74 Final lost to Real Madrid, 82–84 in the final (Nantes)
1974–75 Champions defeated Real Madrid, 79–66 in the final of European Champions Cup in Antwerp
1975–76 Champions defeated Real Madrid, 81–74 in the final of European Champions Cup in Geneva
1976–77 Final lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv, 77–78 in the final (Belgrade)
1977–78 Final lost to Real Madrid, 67–75 in the final (Munich)
1978–79 Final lost to Bosna, 93–96 in the final (Grenoble)
FIBA Saporta Cup
1966–67 Champions defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv, 77–67 (W) in Varese and 67–68 (L) in Tel Aviv in the double final of European Cup Winners' Cup
1967–68 Semi-finals eliminated by AEK, 78–60 (W) in Varese and 52–72 (L) in Athens
1979–80 Champions defeated Gabetti Cantù, 90–88 in the final of European Cup Winners' Cup in Milan
1980–81 Semi-finals eliminated by Squibb Cantù, 84–94 (L) in Varese and 65–78 (L) in Cantù
FIBA Korać Cup
1984–85 Final lost to Simac Milano, 78–91 in the final (Brussels)
1985–86 Semi-finals eliminated by Mobilgirgi Caserta, 84–71 (W) in Varese and 75–91 (L) in Caserta
1995–96 Quarter-finals eliminated by Stefanel Milano, 72–81 (L) in Varese and 89–90 (L) in Milan
EuroCup
2002–03 Quarter-finals eliminated by Adecco Estudiantes, 59–77 (L) in Madrid and 88–101 (L) in Varese
2003–04 Quarter-finals eliminated by Real Madrid, 67–68 (L) in Madrid and 57–62 (L) in Varese
FIBA Europe Cup
2015–16 Final lost to Fraport Skyliners, 62–66 in the final (Chalon-sur-Saône)
Intercontinental Cup
1966 Champions defeated Corinthians 66-59 in the final of Intercontinental Cup in Madrid
1967 Final lost to Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, 72–78 in the final (Rome)
1970 Champions Intercontinental Cup Champions with a 4-0 record in a league tournament in Varese
1973 Champions Intercontinental Cup Champions with a 3–1 record in a league tournament in São Paulo
1974 Runners-up Runners-up with a 4–1 record in a league tournament in Mexico City
1975 5th place 5th place with a 2–3 record in a league tournament in Varese
1976 Runners-up Runners-up with a 4–1 record in a league tournament in Buenos Aires
1977 Runners-up Runners-up with a 3–2 record in a league tournament in Madrid
1978 4th place 4th place with a 1–3 record in a league tournament in Buenos Aires
1979 3rd place 3rd place with a 2–2 record in a league tournament in São Paulo
McDonald's Championship
1999 4th place 4th place in Milan, lost to San Antonio Spurs 86–96 in the semi-final, lost to Žalgiris 78–97 in the 3rd place game

Notable players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Head coaches

Sponsorship names

Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:[1]

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
Period Kit manufacturer
1997–1999 Kappa
1999–2001 Reebok
2002–2003 (unspecified)
2003–2006 Macron[2]
2006-2008 Nike
2008–2010 Aries
2010–2014 Macron[2]
2014–2015 Adidas
2015–2018 Spalding
2018–present Macron[2]

Colors and badge
  • City crest (1997–99)
    City crest
    (1997–99)
  • Roosters crest (1999–01)
    Roosters crest
    (1999–01)
  • Casti Group crest (2004–05)
    Casti Group crest
    (2004–05)
  • Cimberio Varese crest (2010–14)
    Cimberio Varese crest
    (2010–14)
  • Openjobmetis Varese crest (2014–present)
    Openjobmetis Varese crest
    (2014–present)

References
  1. Lega A page on the history of Pallacanestro Varese.(in Italian) Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Varese, Macron nuovo sponsor tecnico ufficiale" [Varese, Macron new official technical sponsor] (in Italian). Lega Basket. 20 Jul 2010.
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