UNICO

PEOPLE
Insight
▲ ‘ARTURO’ KENNEY
A New York native and standout high
school and college player in America,
he found his spiritual home on one of
the greatest basketball teams of all
time.
cally, Dr. Bogoncelli would give me his
season tickets to see performances at La
Scala, so I saw “Norma,” “Orfeo,”
“Tosca” and others. A gentleman in the
chorus, whose two daughters were fans,
also offered me tickets to the opera, and I
in turn gave him tickets for his family to
our sold-out games.
I enjoyed walking around Piazza San
Babila early in the morning passing il
Duomo and la Galleria along the way. On
occasion, I would have a cappucio (cappuccino)
and brioche at Marchese. And
on Friday evenings, after seeing a film in
prima visione, my teammates and I
might go to la Pazza Pizza or have frulatto
in Piazza Diaz. Life was good!
Head Coach Cesare Rubini had very
interesting friends, who became our
friends and fans. He knew designer Tai
(Ottavio) Missoni, who was a hurdler in
the London Olympics, and renowned
artist Roberto Crippa. Class and style
were a part of the Olimpia Milano DNA,
a tradition upheld by the current owner,
iconic fashion designer Giorgio Armani.
Olimpia Milano was founded in
1936, marking its 80th anniversary this
coming season. During its long and illustrious
history, the team has set the standard
of excellence in Italian basketball.
They have won 26 Italian League Championships
(scudetti), one less than the
New York Yankees in 35 fewer years.
My head coach was a two-sport
champion, starring on the Olympic water
polo team as a young man. A great defensive
basketball player with Olimpia Milano,
Rubini was Italy’s most successful
coach, winning more than 80 percent of
his games, including 15 Italian League
Championships. The president of the
Italian National Team in 1980, he led the
team to an Olympic silver medal in
Moscow. He was inducted into the International
Swimming Hall of Fame in
2000, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball
Hall of Fame in 1994.
Coach Rubini’s nickname — “Il
Principe” (“The Prince”) — says it all.
And at his side at the Olympics as well
as Olimpia Milano was Assistant Coach
Sandro Gamba, a fellow Naismith inductee
and one of the most technically
astute coaches ever. To play for two such
illustrious coaches was a dream come
true, and that was only the beginning.
My teammates were outstanding
players, and more importantly, some of
the best people and friends you could
hope to meet. Of our nine Italian players,
six were on the Italian National team,
and one was on the junior national team.
During my three-year tenure, the
team won the Italian League Championship
once, the European Cup of Cups
twice, and the Italian Cup once. Our
winning percentage of 84.3 earned each
of us the Ambrogino D’Argento, similar
to the Key to the City, which is my
prized possession.
In 2013, the team retired my number,
18, but that individual distinction would
not have been possible without the familial
environment fostered from the
ownership on down. It started with
Adolfo Bogoncelli and spread from
coaches Rubini and Gamba throughout
the team. The only thing that mattered
was the success of the club, and each
player was chosen because he possessed
that team-first attitude. It was an outstanding
mindset — one team, one
dream!
My teammates and I looked after
each other both on and off the court, and
everyone sacrificed personal glory for the
sake of the team. That has been the
defining characteristic of Olimpia Milano
throughout the decades, and what
differentiates it from other clubs.
Two generations later, Olimpia Milano
continues its winning ways. With
Giorgio Armani as its owner, Jasmin
Repesa as its coach and Alessandro Gentile
among its star players, the team epitomizes
the skill, color, passion and
"fan-thusiasm" that consistently propels
it to the top the Italian basketball world.
A/X Armani Olimpia Milano will
play against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Chicago
at 7 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the United Center,
and then at NYC’s Madison Square Garden
at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 4. Tickets are
available at ticketmaster.com, with special
discounts available by using the promotion
code FraNoi.
Forza Italia, Forza Olimpia Milano e
Forza Bostoniano!
Current owner Giorgio Armani
The team celebrates another
championship season
FRA NOI for ComUNICO September 2015 69