Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in

Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the c ...

, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian first division LBA. For past club sponsorship names, see

sponsorship names Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

History

1969–70 FIBA European Champions Cup Final

Basketball was introduced in

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 A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

, 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 Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

and

Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...

. 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 The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, also commonly referred to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs, or the FIBA Club World Cup, is a professional basketball clubs competition that is endorsed by FIBA and the NBA. Historically, its purpose has b ...

in 1966, and repeated the same title 4 and 7 years later, in the middle of the club's greatest decade in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

and

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

. Varese accomplished the great feat of winning the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

, winning all the trophies available in 1973, with the legendary Professor Aca Nikolić as the team's

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

. Varese also won two championships of the European-wide first-tier level

FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA ...

, 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 Carlo Recalcati (born September 11, 1945 in Milan, Italy) is an Italian professional basketball coach, and a former player. He was the head coach of the senior Italian national basketball team, from 2001 to 2009, and led them to the silver medal ...

(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

Depth chart

Season by season

Honours

Total titles: 25 PalaWhirlpool

Domestic competitions

* Italian League : 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 * Italian Cup : Winners (4): 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73 : Runners-up (5): 1971–72, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1998–99, 2012–13 *

Italian Supercup The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seaso ...

: Winners (1): 1999 : Runners-up (1): 2013

European competitions

* EuroLeague : 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 *

FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...

(defunct) : Winners (2): 1966–67, 1979–80 : Semifinalists (2): 1967–68, 1980–81 *

FIBA Korać Cup The FIBA Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971–72 and 2001–02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the FIBA European Champions' Cup (later renamed th ...

(defunct) : Runners-up (1): 1984–85 : Semifinalists (1): 1985–86 *

FIBA Europe Cup The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC) is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA's European-wide second level. Clubs mainly qualify for the competition based on their performance in natio ...

: Runners-up (1): 2015–16

Worldwide competitions

: Winners (3): 1966,

: Runners-up (4):

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, 1974,

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

: 3rd place (1):

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

: 4th place (1): 1978 *

McDonald's Championship The McDonald's Championship (sometimes called the McDonald's Open) was an international men's professional basketball club cup competition that featured a representative of the National Basketball Association (representing North America) agains ...

: 4th place (1):

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

Individual club awards

: Winners (2): 1969–70, 1972–73

International record

Notable players

* Ivan Bisson * Paolo Conti * Marcelo Damiao * Fabrizio Della Fiori * Giacomo Galanda * Andrea Meneghin *

Dino Meneghin Dino Meneghin (, ; born 18 January 1950) is an Italian former professional basketball player. He is widely considered to be the best Italian player ever, as well as one of Europe's all-time greats. A 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall center, Meneghi ...

Aldo Ossola Aldo Ossola (born 13 March 1945) is an Italian former basketball player. At a height of 1.92 m (6'3 "), he was a point guard with a great ability to set the offensive rhythm and game tempo for his team. He is a member of the Italian Basketball Ha ...

Gianmarco Pozzecco Gianmarco Pozzecco (born 15 September 1972) is an Italian professional basketball coach and former player. Currently, he is the head coach of the senior men's Italy national team. Pozzecco is one of the best known figures in the Italian basket ...

Stefano Rusconi Stefano Rusconi (born October 2, 1968) is a retired Italian professional basketball player. At a height of tall, he played at the center position. Professional career Rusconi was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the 2nd round (52nd overal ...

Romeo Sacchetti Romeo "Meo" Sacchetti (born August 20, 1953) is an Italian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently a head coach for Pallacanestro Cantù of the Serie A2. Standing at a height of 1.99 m (6 ft. 6 in.), he played ...

* Paolo Vittori *

Marino Zanatta Marino Zanatta (born 8 February 1947) is a retired Italian professional basketball player. In 2014, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. Professional career Zanatta was a four time EuroLeague champion (1972, 1973, 1975, 19 ...

* Siim-Sander Vene * Anthony Bowie * Frank Brickowski * Bill Campion * Geno Carlisle *

Tim Bassett Eugene Timothy Bassett (April 1, 1951 – December 9, 2018) was an American basketball player. He was a staff member for the charitable group Heroes and Cool Kids. Playing career Bassett played for the University of Georgia. He was selected b ...

* Toney Douglas * Derek Hamilton * Delonte Holland * Frank Johnson * Jalen Jones * Anthony Gennari * Kevin Magee * Stan McKenzie * Billy Keys *

Rusty LaRue Rusty LaRue (born December 10, 1973) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He was a multi-sport athlete who played basketball, baseball, and football at Wake Forest University. LaRue played in the National Basketball As ...

* Pat Cummings * Bill Edwards *

Wes Matthews Wesley Joel Matthews Sr. (born August 24, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the father of curren ...

* Jerry McCullough * Larry Micheaux * Corny Thompson * Eddie Lee Wilkins *

Leon Wood Osie Leon Wood III (born March 25, 1962), is an American former professional basketball player. A college All-American, he was a first round NBA draft pick, and both an Olympic and Pan-Am Games gold-medalist. He subsequently has had a career ...

* Charlie Yelverton * Reggie Theus * Tyrone Nesby * Charles Pittman * Bob Morse * DeJuan Collins * Daniel Farabello * Gabriel Fernández *

Luis Scola Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa (born April 30, 1980) is an Argentine former professional basketball player and current executive who currently serves as the chief executive officer for the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) team Pallacanestro Varese. ...

Arijan Komazec Arijan Komazec (born January 23, 1970) is a retired Croatian professional basketball player. Professional career Komazec started his professional career as a basketball player at the age of 16, in the historical club of Zadar, in the 1986–87 s ...

* Mate Skelin * Veljko Mršić * Boris Gorenc *

Sani Bečirović Sani may refer to: * Sani (surname), a list of people *Sani Ahmed, Nigerian basketball coach * Sani, Mauritania * Sani Pass, pass in the Drakensberg linking Lesotho to South Africa *Shani, in Hindu astrology, Saturn * Sani, a village in Zanskar ...

* Aleksandar Ćapin * Alain Digbeu * Kristjan Kangur * Janar Talts *

Daniel Santiago Daniel Gregg Santiago (born June 24, 1976) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player. A center, he had a collegiate career in the NCAA and NAIA. His professional career saw him play in the NBA, the Baloncesto Superior Nacional of ...

* Richard Petruška * Pavel Podkolzin *

Manuel Raga Manuel "Manolo" Raga Navarro (born March 14, 1944) is a Mexican former professional basketball player. During his playing career, he was nicknamed, "The Flying Mexican", due to his nationality and his one of a kind 43 inch standing (no step) vert ...

* Nikola Lončar * Fedon Matheou * D. J. Mbenga

Head coaches

* Vittorio Tracuzzi (1948–54) * Valerio Giobbi (1954–55) * Yogi Bough (1955–56) * Enrico Garbosi (1956–62) * Vittorio Tracuzzi (1954–55 & 1966–68) * Nico Messina (1968–69 & 1977–78) *

Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Sp ...

(1969–73) * Sandro Gamba (1973–77) * Edoardo Rusconi (1978–80, 1993–97 & 2003–04) * Joe Isaac (1986–89 & 1992–93) *

(1997–99 & 2010–12) *

Valerio Bianchini Valerio Bianchini (born July 22, 1943) is an Italian professional basketball coach. He was the first coach in the history of Italian basketball who won three championship titles with three clubs (Cantù, Virtus Roma and Victoria Libertas Pesaro). ...

(1999 & 2007–08) *

Gianfranco Lombardi Gianfranco "Franco" Lombardi (20 March 1941 – 22 January 2021) was an Italian professional basketball player and coach. During his playing career, his nickname was "Dado". In 2006, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. Pr ...

(2000–01) * Grégor Beugnot (2001–03) *

Ruben Magnano Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob. Variants include Rúben in European Portuguese; Rubens in Brazilian Portuguese ...

(2004–07) * Veljko Mršić (2007–08) * Stefano Pillastrini (2008–10) * Francesco Vitucci (2012–13) * Fabrizio Frates (2013–14) * Stefano Bizzozi (2014) *

(2014–15) *

Attilio Caja Attilio Caja (born 20 May 1961 in Pavia, Italy) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is head coach for Scafati Basket of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Coaching career He was head-coach of the Italian national basketball team ...

(2015 & 2016–20) * Paolo Moretti (2015–16) * Massimo Bulleri (2020–21) * Adriano Vertemati (2021–22) * Johan Roijakkers (2022) * Alberto Seravalli (2022–present)

Sponsorship names

Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:Lega A page on the history of Pallacanestro Varese.
* Storm (1954–56) * Ignis (1956–75) * Mobilgirgi (1975–78) * Emerson (1978–80) * Turisanda (1980–81) * Cagiva (1981–83) * Star (1983–84) * Ciao Crem (1984–85) * Divarese (1985–89) * Ranger (1989–92) * Cagiva (1992–97) * No name sponsorship (1997–99) * Varese Roosters (1999–01) * Metis (2001–04) * Casti Group (2004–05) *

(2005–07) * Cimberio (2007–2014) * OpenjobMetis (2014–present)

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Colors and badge

Image:Varese-Stemma.png, City crest
(1997–99) Image:Varese Roosters Logo.jpg, Roosters crest
(1999–01) Image:Logo Varese.JPG, Casti Group crest
(2004–05) File:Logo Cimberio Varese.png, Cimberio Varese crest
(2010–14) File:Scudetto_Openjobmetis.jpg, Openjobmetis Varese crest
(2014–present)

References

External links

Official Website

Eurobasket.com Team PageVarese Fans Basket
{{Navboxes, list1= {{Pallacanestro Varese 1969-70 Euroleague champions {{Pallacanestro Varese 1971-72 Euroleague champions {{Pallacanestro Varese 1972-73 Euroleague champions {{Pallacanestro Varese 1974-75 Euroleague champions {{Pallacanestro Varese 1975-76 Euroleague champions {{Pallacanestro Varese 1966–67 FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup Champions {{Pallacanestro Varese 1979–80 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup Champions 1946 establishments in Italy

EuroLeague-winning clubs Sport in Varese