We gladly take a timeout from updates to INVICTUS Camp to dedicate one standing ovation a Gianluca Basile, one of the characters who wrote the history of Basket City. Contended between the two rivals Virtus Pallacanestro and Fortitudo Basketball, where he finally landed in the middle of the season 1998/1999 from Reggio Emilia, where he had forged it Giordano Consolini and had made his Serie A2 debut at the age of 20 years, obtaining promotion to Serie A1 in 1996/1997. From the debut with the Aquila it was understood that "Forest" he would become the leader destined to remain in the heart.
Starting with the field, where in the first derby "his legs" allowed him to stop the phenomenal Antoine Rigadeau, but gradually gaining more and more confidence and security even in the locker room, giving a decisive contribution in the conquest of the first historic Italian title of Fortitudo, it Scudetto 1999/2000, playing as a point guard to lead Carlton Myers, Gregor Fucka, Giacomo Galanda e Stojko Vrankovic, sharing the role with Marko Jaric, for the 3-1 in Treviso.
The growth of "Forest" it would then become exponential in the post-Myers, when he won the degrees of Captain, that he probably wouldn't even want to. And becoming, with Zoran Savic come General Manager e Jasmin repesa on the bench, the beacon of the three-year cycle that would have led an increasingly young and daring Fortitudo to win the Euroleague Final Four 2004 a Tel Aviv, dragging the team with his "ignorant shots" up to Euroleague Final against the Maccabi edition "Los Angeles Lakers", surrounded by twelve thousand Israeli fans, in the immense arena of Yad Elihau. Just being there, gave that incredible event the flavor of a victory.
And finally, leading Effe to her second Italian title, it Scudetto 2004/2005, curiously the only one to have won them both and both times playing as a point guard, after the exclusion of Gianmarco Pozzecco and the breaking of the crusader of Milos Vujanic. It was the Fortitudo of Matjaz Smodis, Dalibor Bagaric, and the very young Marco Belinelli, Stefano Mancinelli ed Erazem Lorbek ... Sua's team directing the last action of Gara 4 in Milan, where instead of trying the shot of despair from three quarters of the field, he believed it to the end, passing the ball forward a Ruben Douglas, who fired the decisive triple at a siren's edge for the victory that earned him a title that will be remembered forever with the label "Instant Replay".
In this path of personal and team growth, Gianluca became an increasingly important element of the Italian National, also conquering unforgettable victories in Azzurro: Gold at the European Championships in France 1999, Silver at the Athens Olympics 2004, Silver at the Mediterranean Games in Bari 1997, Bronze at the European Championships in Sweden 2003.
Conducted the Fortitudo to the most sought-after landing place, after 7 unparalleled seasons, Baso followed Zoran in Spain, signing for theFC Barcelona. E, Once again, he knew how to become a leader on the field, like the champions blaugrana, to the point that when he crowned the dream of conquering theEuroleague 2010 was proclaimed by the head coach Xavi Pascual and from the star Juan Carlos Navarro his Co-Captain. The highest honor, for an Italian destined to be the foreign player who would have worn that jersey for several years in the history of the Catalan club, really 6, in which he will also win two titles of the Liga ACB, three Copa del Rey and two ACB Super Cup.
Celebrated by the Fortitudo public when he returned, the only time, as a Fortitudo challenger in an official friendly in an FC Barcelona jersey that had only the meaning of a tribute to him, in the same way he was celebrated on his return to Palau Blaugrana after returning to play in Italy. A very profound meaning of how much Baso managed to make himself loved wherever he played.
Here it is then, again in Italy in 2011/2012 with the Cantù basketball, with l'highlight of a "triple ignorant" on the siren with which he defeated Bilbao, in 2012/2013 all'Olimpia Milan and finally, from 2013 al 2016, all'Orlandina Basket, with whom he thought he would play only one season of Legadue ... But it came there Promotion to Serie A, where he would play another two seasons while remaining in Sicily. Driven solely by a passion for basketball and an unwavering physique. A fine 2015/2016 the decision to stop, in his way. The announcement of the withdrawal came only in February 2017, without reflectors.
ID card says 42, its numbers are 192 cm for 90 kg, #5 the jersey number of the heart, guard its natural role, playmaker that of his instinct. His family are his wife Nunzia and daughters Alessia, Manuela e Federica. Born on 24 January 1975 in Ruvo di Puglia, it will be his hometown that will pay the greatest tribute to him, the next 2 June 2017.
Having him as a guest and testimonial a INVICTUS Camp? A dream, but it was Gianluca himself who taught us that even the most unattainable can come true. Basile, one of us.