For Andrea De Nicolao possible return to the past
Sometimes they come back. Andrea De Nicolao could again wear the Varese jersey if his experience with Cantù ends in the coming days. Watch out also for Scaligera Verona, still in the running for promotion to the A after eliminating Fortitudo Bologna with a hardly predictable ‘cappotto’ slapped on the Caja-boys.
Even in the last tribulary championship of the Brianza lineup, the experienced Venetian point guard made an important contribution, all the more so in light of the problems at the point guard position highlighted by the Biancoblu, first with Jacob Gilyard and then with Chris Chiozza, whose performance was certainly not optimal. De Nicolao, born in 1991, played from 2012 to 2014 in Varese and in the following season in the city of Romeo and Juliet.
It should be recalled that De Nicolao had been one of the protagonists of Cantù’s promotion to Serie A, crowned last summer with a memorable comeback over Rimini: it was precisely one of his three-point baskets at the edge of the third quarter buzzer that brought the Brianzoli back to -10, lighting the fuse of a dream last period. “A very tough year, there were ups and downs, injuries, we went through them all: despite that we made it and we deserve it. Since January everything has changed, we’ve been great,” the Venetian point guard had declared hot on the Paladesio parquet.
The season in Serie A, however, proved to be an obstacle course for Cantù, grappling with chronic instability in the booth of directors. First the January farewell of Jacob Gilyard, cut to make room for Chris Chiozza, then the physical problems of Chiozza himself — stopped by a first-degree injury to his left adductor — that had forced the club to urgently intervene on the market with the signing of Gerald Robinson. De Nicolao held the ranks in a context that was anything but easy, confirming that solidity and leadership ability that make him an attractive profile for different realities in the league.
On the Verona front, the Scaligera team led by Alessandro Ramagli impressed everyone by eliminating Fortitudo Bologna with a clean sweep, so much so that even opposing coach Attilio Caja could not help but recognize their value: “Congratulations, they put something more on the court than we did and it is coached perfectly by Ramagli: they have excellent public, important manager, they have everything to do well.” A significant attestation of esteem, which photographs the solidity of a group that could be very useful to an experienced point guard like De Nicolao.
