Umana Reyer Venezia wins FIBA Europe Cup
Umana Reyer Venezia swept to the FIBA Europe Cup title on Wednesday with an 81-79 victory over Avellino in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. The win allowed the club to claim a clean sweep of this all-Italian finals series and win the FIBA Europe Cup after also winning game 1 with 77-69. It also marks an astonishing rise in Italian and European basketball for Umana Reyer Venezia.
Victory in the FIBA Europe Cup continues Venezia’s recent story of success, which is currently including dominance in Italy’s Serie A. Indeed, the club is the reigning champions of its domestic top flight and is currently ranked first in the 2017/2018 regular season.
Game 2 was closely fought as Avellino fought to remain in the hunt for the title. Through an exciting fourth quarter, either team could have won, but home advantage told for Venezia. A low scoring first quarter saw the hosts open a 15-13 lead and then find the momentum in the second frame. During Q2, Venezia drained 26 points and stopped Avellino at 19 for a 41-32 lead through halftime.
The visitors improved in the third act, using a 22-29 run to reduce the deficit to 63-61 through thirty minutes on the floor. Just two points separated the teams and they traded the lead and buckets throughout the fourth quarter. However, in the closing seconds, Venezia took the lead and this time it was for good.
In this finals series, Umana Reyer Venezia came up against one of its main Serie A rivals in Avellino. The two clubs have played a lot of hoops against each other in the last two seasons, and one thing seems apparent… Venezia has the advantage. That was certainly the case in 2016/2017 when the clubs met eight times.
Through the campaign, Venezia won both Serie A contests against Avellino and triumphed 4-2 in the playoff semi-final for a handy 6-2 score through the season. This year, Avellino has been more competitive, winning one Serie A game, for a 1-1 domestic tape. However, in Europe, Umana Reyer Venezia dominated (2-0) and is now 3-1 ahead for the season.
All eyes will be on the Serie A playoffs should these two teams meet.
While rivalries are interesting, the most defining part of Venezia’s FIBA Europe Cup success has been the journey, both this season and over the last two decades. Let’s start with the 2017/2018 European campaign, which has been a rollercoaster.
After making the FIBA Champions League final four last season, Venezia was mooted as among the favorites this year. However, during the regular season, the club faced one of the most competitive European groups in recent years. Umana Reyer was up against teams like Bayreuth, Banvit, and Strasbourg.
Venezia was in the mix, winning 8 games and losing six. Indeed, four clubs finished on an identical record, but Umana Reyer was eliminated on negative head-to-head results. While a clear disappointment, the team had the consolation of competing in the FIBA Europe Cup directly into the 1/8 finals.
A cruising 169-139 aggregate score over Kormend followed before Venezia faced the tougher challenge of Nizhny Novgorod in the quarter-finals. A tie saw Umana pass the Russians 176-170 and set up a semi-final against Donar Groningen. The Dutch club proved a hurdle, but the Serie A champs secured an aggregate win to set up an all-Italian final.
Umana Reyer Venezia; A Team United
We’ll get to the history of the club and how this international title represents a truly interesting basketball story soon. First, let’s discuss the merits of this gutsy Umana Reyer Venezia team. The roster lacks a Superman player who will clutch them out of tough situations.
Umana Reyer built its recent success on an iron nerve. The numbers in the Serie A this season may look unimpressive on paper. However, on the floor, they translate into a roster that plays as a team and has bags of discipline.
For example, Venezia rarely blows teams away but has managed to win 11 out of 12 Serie A games with less than 5 points differential. Without that star man player, the team does not dominate statistics across Serie A, where they are the second-worst offensive rebounders taking just 24.4% of available boards through the season. In terms of overall rebounds, they are fourth worst with just 48%.
Umana Reyer Venezia celebrates 2017 Serie A title
But, this cannot be emphasized enough, Umana Reyer Venezia is the reigning league champion. It is also the regular season leader, and now FIBA Europe Cup champ. It’s all about that team effort, which allows the club to be the second best assist maker in Serie A. The team 18.1 dimes per game. Seven players on the roster have an average of 9.8 ppg or more.
While there is no superstar performer on the roster, there’s little doubt Austin Daye is the driving force. He joined the club in January. Daye uses 27 % of the team plays when he is on the floor. Look for him to be the architect of Umana’s offense.
A Storied Journey
What makes Venezia’s story so interesting is the club’s recent history. In the 1995/1996 season, the club went bankrupt. A period in the wilderness outside Serie A followed. A journey that ultimately took 15 years as the club finally regained its Serie A position in 2011.
In the modern era, Umana Reyer Venezia has never been a massive club. The Palasport Taliercio is the smallest gym in Serie A with a capacity of 3506. Additionally, last season’s league win was the club’s first since World War 2.
The journey to return to Serie A was aided by long-term sponsor Umana, a significant employment agency in Italy. Over recent seasons the club has been building a head of steam. Four top-five finishes in my last four Regular Season campaigns proves the point. The FIBA Europe Cup is now in the bag. Who’s betting against Umana Reyer Venezia repeating as Serie A champions this May?