The former Trieste player has no doubts about the most talked-about incident: “A terrible call.”
The controversy surrounding the game between Varese and Trieste continues. Among those contesting the decision that handed the victory to the home team is Corey Davis, a former Trieste player who now plays for BC Roma, who made no secret of his disappointment on social media regarding the call against Lodovico Deangeli.
Davis commented on PianetaBasket’s Instagram post about the incident with an eloquent “Typical,” then added: “Horrible call.”
Davis’s assessment is clear: in his view, it was Della Valle who sought contact with Deangeli, making the referees’ decision—which effectively ended the game—questionable.
Silvio Corrias, a former Serie A referee, also weighed in on the incident on backdoorpodcast.com: “2.9 seconds left on the game clock in the fourth quarter. Della Valle receives the ball from Hale and rises to take a three-pointer. Deangeli makes contact with ADV: foul and three free throws. Della Valle receives the ball outside the arc; both Candussi and Deangeli try to block his shot! Candussi is off balance and can’t get there, while Deangeli—clearly late—jumps toward Della Valle. Deangeli first raises his arms, but it’s too late, so he lowers them and tries to get past the shooter,” the former referee recounts.
“Della Valle extends his left forearm, striking Deangeli’s chest; he also extends—and pulls back—his left foot, which lands on Deangeli’s right foot, now behind him. Thrown off balance by the contact he himself created, Della Valle ends up on the court! The trailing referee blows his whistle and penalizes Deangeli: 3 free throws for the Varese player. As always, television and replays help us better analyze the play and determine who’s at fault,” he added.
“Referee Coda initially had a good vantage point—more focused on Candussi’s defense—but at the moment of a potential—possible—contact with Deangeli, he was completely ‘blocked’ by Della Valle’s back! Probably taking one or two steps back would have provided a better viewing angle. Even the side referee—positioned slightly higher up—had no angle on the contact; he saw only Deangeli’s back! The assistant referee—who is, correctly, on the same side of the ball—might have had a good vantage point, but the play is truly outside his area of responsibility! Of course, since this was the decisive play, concentration, technique, and teamwork could have been better. “A no-call would have been the correct call,” Corrias concluded.
There’s also a postscript: “Contact caused by ADV does not cause any harm to opponents; while extending the forearm may be a natural defensive movement for the shooter, seeking contact with the left foot should be penalized with a technical foul for flopping.”
