A more peaceful Trieste begins anew with three key principles
In Brescia, the blow was devastating, but the goal now is to try to plan for the future. In Serie A2, prospects still appear limited, while in Serie B Nazionale, club-related issues continue to surface, with some clubs having already thrown in the towel and others that might do so soon. The atmosphere in Trieste, on the other hand, is decidedly more upbeat. According to reports in *La Prealpina*, the Giulian club intends to rebuild around key players such as Michele Ruzzier and Leonardo Candussi, while also confirming Francesco Taccetti as head coach. The plan is to build a team using the 5+5 formula.
Meanwhile, at Trieste, the confirmation of Francesco Taccetti as head coach represents a particularly significant sign of continuity on the coaching staff. The coach had led the Giulian team to Game 5 of the playoff quarterfinals against Brescia, with the red-and-whites managing to come back and win the series after trailing 2-1. Taccetti himself had pointed to defense as the key to his team’s success: “Holding a team like that to just 77 points means playing a tremendous defensive game.” As for Michele Ruzzier, his reappointment carries additional symbolic significance: last February, the Trieste-born point guard won the Oscar Giba award as the best Serie A1 player of 2025, a historic honor bestowed by the Players’ Association on athletes who have distinguished themselves both on and off the court.
On the National Serie B front, the registration deadline is set for July 7, and the first official withdrawal has already been recorded: Academy Basket Jesi announced on June 20 that it will not participate in the upcoming season. The club from the Marche region is going through a delicate financial crisis, marked by heavy debt, and had already attempted to alleviate the situation during the season just concluded by trading away its most talented players. However, anyone interested in acquiring the team’s franchise would also have to assume the liabilities accumulated by the club.
The upheaval in Brescia stems from the transfer of Germani’s franchise to Rome, into the hands of California-based entrepreneur Paul Matiasic, who has brought a definitive end to seventeen years of Leonessa’s history. Club owner Mauro Ferrari, who was harshly criticized by fans with chants and banners outside the San Zeno headquarters, tried to explain the reasons behind this difficult decision: “During this period, significant financial efforts were made. We have devoted—and diverted from my own business and that of my family—work time and days, and we have invested approximately 30 million euros over these ten years of operation.” Ferrari then added: “If ten years ago we had 30 million euros available in the account and today we have just over 500,000 euros, it means this is a club that is unsustainable and does not generate profits.”
