Pellicani Basketball Team Advancing for First Time

After a long pursuit, it finally arrived, with triumph. The Pellicani basketball team's historic advancement to Serie C is a fitting crowning achievement of a path that began in 2002, when celebrations for the University's Centennial were in full swing. That was when a match between a student team and an "others" team, made up of faculty and staff, was contested. "The year after, in 2003, the Pellicani Basketball Association was officially founded. Progressively it brought together various sporting activities, representing the first nucleus of the Bocconi Sport Team," explains Alessandro Ciarlo, who has been President of the University sports association since it was established. "This year's success was a great endeavor, but at the same time it was also an outcome that had been in the air for two or three years. This year we had an outstanding group who, after a normal showing during the first half of the season, won 18 of the last 19 games. It's a group that was ready for the next division."

Carlo Favero, Head of the Department of Finance, was already around in 2002. He was also a player on the team before dedicating himself exclusively coaching: "Our advancement was the result of our work during practice, the cohesiveness between players and excellent technical skills. But the true turning point was the participation of the University during playoffs, with the Rector in the forefront, that made the team feel like part of something bigger," explains Favero, "considering that during an away match, there were lots of students cheering us on." Next year, the team will play "at a higher level," but Favero is not worried: "This team, with a few additions that we're already evaluating, will be able to make a good showing in Serie C as well, I'm sure of it. There will be even more challenges, but we're ready."