Trento and the “undersized” philosophy
I am sure that not many of you have noticed that Dolomiti Energia Trento is probably the most undersized team in Europe. I mean, between the good teams in the most important leagues of the continent, not in Albania.
In Trento’s roster, everybody is between 1,87-2,02 m. So, no giants! The exceptions you would say is Nikola Jovanovic – 2,11 m, but he plays under 10 minutes, many games actually just 7 minutes. Or the two Italians, Luca Lechthaler and the teenager Maximilien Ladurner, both 2,06 m, who almost never entered the court this season.
I am referring to the core of the team, the players who see at least 15 minutes per game. I take a look at the main rotation, including the 5 starters and the bench players, Trento seems to prefer no traditional centers: Beto Gomes is their biggest man with 2,02 m! Their best formula is a very fast squad, smart, who can move the ball quickly, where everybody can go for a rebound. The formula created by the coach Maurizio Buscaglia prevents the Italian team from committing turnovers too because they don’t involve big and slow motion “Shaqs” in the actions.
It is an interesting formula, and they use it not just now, but as well in the past, for example when Trento eliminated Olimpia Milano in the Legabasket semifinals (2016-2017). So, it’s working!
Gratian Cormos, info@brainbasketball.net
