Cantu is about 40 minutes away from where we live and actually the home of our coach Massimo Aiolfo. It is a small town of about 20,000 people and a town that is very passionate about their basketball team.
NGC Cantu is also the team our new teammate Sam Hines (www.samuelhines.com) used to play for. Sam is a legend in Cantu and has had a very illustrious basketball career. He has absolutely dominated everywhere he has been and even belongs in Cantu's Hall of Fame, Piazza delle Stelle. I didn't realize how big of a deal this was until today. We immediately spotted Sam because he was surround by a bunch of people trying to talk to him. The man is an absolute star in Cantu and is treated like a god. I walked around the arena with him and everywhere we went people were saying hi to him and asking for pictures and autographs. Playing in Switzerland made me forget how big of a deal basketball is to some people.
I should also note that Cantu is famous for their crazy fans. I found this out on Saturday night in our game versus Lugano. Around 50 Cantu fans made the 40 minute trip to see our game against Lugano. They made their present known by singing and cheering loudly throughout the whole game. Unfortunately they sat next to Liz and she was unable to hear the rest of the night.
The Cantu fans occupy a section right behind the basket. They are so crazy that they were not allowed to attend the game vs. Varese because the local officials feared that a fight might break out between the two teams fans. I was about to experience what Italian basketball is all about.
While I was up talking with Sam I saw a bunch of police officers come in and surround an empty section in the upper corner of the arena. The officers were in full riot gear. Once they had the section surrounded I heard a roar moving up the stairs. Drums, horns and singing were all part of the roar. At the same time boos, profanities and everything else erupted out of the Cantu fan section. I realized that the officers were their so that the Siena fans and the Cantu fans could not make contact with each other. It was actually really cool to see. Most of the Siena fans gave a polite 2 finger salute to the Cantu fans and they were more than happy to give it back to them.
Once the fans had settled in, chants rang out back and forth across the arena. I didn't understand all of them but thankfully we had a translator. It was definitely not a place to bring a child as the game should have been rated R. The insults ranged from calling Siena sons of bitches to pieces of shit, and also saying how the Siena coach and president are married to a horse (apparently Siena is known for horse racing.) This continued for the entire game. It was definitely the best atmosphere I have ever seen at a game.
Unfortunately the Cantu fan section did cross the line at times. They were caught spitting at the Siena players and at one time they slapped one of them in the head. Some of the attendees also were smoking in the crowd and there was actually enough smoke for a thick haze to hang above the court. This was a little disheartening for me.
Putting the fans aside I suppose I should actually talk a little bit about the game since it was what we came to watch. Last year we had gone to see CSKA Moscow play Armani Jeans Milano in a Euroleague contest. This was definitely at the same level but it had more of an Italian flair.
One of the first things I noticed was the lack of post play between the 2 teams. I didn't see a post move by a post player until the 3rd quarter. In my opinion it wasn't because of lack of talent in the post either. I think that post play is just not part of the Italian game. Despite the lack of post play, the game was very physical. The intensity was also at an extremely high level. I expected this though as the Italian league is one of the most respected leagues in Europe.
The first half was very uneventful and unimpressive. Siena was only up 6 at the half in a low scoring contest. They turned it up in the second half and ended up winning by 30! They did it by playing great defense, great shot selection and playing extremely smart. I imagine that a lot of teams don't come into Cantu's gym and win.
Overall I liked what I saw from the teams and it is definitely a level that I think/know I can play at. In my head I was constantly comparing myself to the other players. I would love the challenge of playing in Italy. It would also feel good to play in front of more than 500 people every night.
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