Seventh. The sponsor of the Settimo San Pietro basketball team is a funeral agency and to celebrate access to the playoffs of the MSP championship the owner (who is also one of the strongest players in the team, Alessio Leonori) offered a coffin (dead ) full of beers immersed in ice to teammates, technicians and managers.

In the field

Sponsor sui generis, it will be said, yet from the opponents, assures Adriano Mascia, 52 year old president of Settimo basketball, a company founded just a year ago and already a protagonist with both the first team and juniors, «never a mocking smile, a superstitious gesture, a provocation, a shrug of the shoulders" in the face of those shirt covers that advertise funeral services. And he himself, he assures, is anything but superstitious. No gesture to Massimo Cellino, the former owner of Cagliari who spread salt on the court before the match, or to Rafa Nadal who maniacally arranges the bottles of water and supplements near the bench between one game and another of his matches tennis: «When the Settimo basketball takes the field», says president Mascia, «only a scream before the tap-off».

The party

The Settimo Basket then didn't win the playoffs, eliminated in game three of the semi-final: «But bad luck or superstition - Alessio Leonori smiles - have nothing to do with it: let's say that perhaps we exaggerated in the third half, beers and cutting boards various and assorted, which we treat ourselves to every training session in the clubhouse of the nearby tennis club. My idea of celebrating the playoff finish line with a big drink for us "beasts" of the team was born because in this year of activity we have become a big family. There is a beautiful personal relationship between us all, it coincided with my birthday, I wanted to surprise everyone and invited my teammates, technicians and managers to the house. They were welcomed by a coffin full of ice and beers, wine and rum. And also an, I hope pleasant, aperitif based on meat and sausages."

«Welcome, welcome», intervenes President Mascia: «A joke like this could only be done by Alessio, a truly golden boy. He is so professional, sensitive and scrupulous in his work that he faces pain every day, so carefree and light-hearted is he when he arrives at Settimo's basketball court. We all love him precisely because he gives his soul to the team"

And next year? «Sponsor confirmed», says Alessio Leonori. «We are also thinking of enrolling in the Federbasket promotion championship, not only in the MSP tournament», says Adriano Mascia, «we have brought basketball back to Settimo after 25 years, it's a really good challenge»: To be celebrated (also) with a fridge- bar(a) full of fresh beers.

Paolo Carta

ENVOY

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