Giorgio Valli takes on Sassari and identifies two specific threats

CMT Orange Tools Pesaro returns to the court on Wednesday, November 11, at 8:30 p.m. at PalaSerradimigni, where it will face Banco di Sardegna Sassari in a game counting toward the ninth round of the Serie A2 basketball season. This is an important road game for the red-and-whites, who will face one of the league’s most ambitious teams as they seek crucial points following a first half of the season marked by ups and downs.

On the eve of the game, VL coach Giorgio Valli singled out two players from the Sassari roster who deserve special attention. “There’s little time to prepare tactically for this game, which we’ll have to approach more from an emotional standpoint: we know Sassari well—they’re a fairly traditional team with big men who can shoot from the outside. Despite Nze’s absence, Nobili has stepped up very well, and Brooks is a very unconventional Italian player whom everyone knows. We’ll need to communicate effectively on defense to avoid giving up easy baskets.”

Pesaro started the season with five straight wins, defeating Cento, Cremona, Caserta, Ruvo di Puglia, and Cividale, before losing three in a row to Turin, Avellino, and Mestre—a slump that sent VL tumbling down the standings, dropping them from first place in mid-October to their current sixth-place tie with Turin and Brindisi.

Sassari, coming off a bitter relegation last season, had a strong first month, with three wins (over Urania Milano, Mestre, and Cento) and one loss (to Montecatini), followed by a stretch of diametrically opposite results, with just one win against Caserta and three losses to Rimini, Ruvo di Puglia, and Cividale.