Erick Green tempted: may leave Cantù
In the house of Pallacanestro Cantù there are already moves in the market to try to avoid a season as tribulatic as the one that just ended. The Brianza club has officially announced the appointment of Simone Giofrè as general manager: a return horse that makes Frank Vitucci the sole candidate for the bench vacated by Walter De Raffaele, covered in yen in Japan.
In the white-blue control room, work is being done on the renewal of Erick Green, fished out of Lebanon where he was taking a boatload of money and instrumental in achieving salvation: the former Siena, Treviso and Napoli player, class of 1991, has received a tempting offer from the Bosnians of Igokea as reported by the always well-informed Giuseppe Sciascia of Prealpina.
In the presentation press conference, Giofrè immediately stamped his mark with words loaded with meaning: “This morning, thinking about what to say, a number came back to my mind: 000105. It is the FIP affiliation code of Pallacanestro Cantù, the oldest of the clubs still active in Italy, and just pronouncing it sends shivers down my spine. My goal will be to convey to those who come here, to work or play, the value and weight of this history.” President Roberto Allievi enthusiastically greeted the executive’s return, while thanking predecessor Sandro Santoro for his work over the years.
On the roster front, in addition to the Green rebus, Giordano Bortolani’s situation is also holding court. The Sicilian outside player, still under contract with Cantù for another season, experienced a positive year closed with 12.8 points average in 24.3 minutes and 36.8 percent from the arc, proving to be one of the most reliable elements in the salvation race. Pallacanestro Varese and Bertram Derthona have already moved on the player, the latter looking for a replacement in case of Tommaso Baldasso’s departure to Virtus Bologna. Bortolani himself had declared at the end of the season that he wanted to meet with the club before making any decision on his future.
Already defined, however, is the Xavier Sneed issue: the 1997-class American forward, one of the heroes of salvation, has terminated his contract with the Brianza club early to settle at Hapoel Jerusalem, leaving a void that is not easy to fill in the roster that Giofrè and the future coach will have to build. Therefore, the top priority remains the definition of the technical guide, with Vitucci in pole position also because of his well-established affinity with the new general manager, before other market issues can be addressed with due serenity.
