Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino
Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino was an Italian professional basketball club in Turin, Piedmont. It competed in the first division of Italian basketball, the Lega Basket Serie A for the last time in the 2018–19 season. The club won one trophy, the Italian Basketball Cup, in 2018.
| Auxilium Torino | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|  | |||
| Leagues | LBA EuroCup | ||
| Founded | 1974 | ||
| Dissolved | 28 June 2019 | ||
| History | Auxilium Pallacanestro Torino (1974–2008; 2015–2019) | ||
| Arena | Palavela | ||
| Capacity | 6,300[1] | ||
| Location | Turin, Piedmont, Italy | ||
| Team colors | Yellow, Navy | ||
| Main sponsor | Fiat | ||
| President | Antonio Forni | ||
| Head coach | Paolo Galbiati | ||
| Team captain | Giuseppe Poeta | ||
| Championships | 1 Italian Cup | ||
| Retired numbers | 1 (11) | ||
| Website | auxiliumcustorino.com | ||
|  | |||
In June 2019, Auxilium was dissolved after the club was declared bankrupt after months of financial struggles, which had led to relegation from the LBA in May.[2]
History
    
    The beginnings
    
The club was founded in 1966 under the initiative of Don Gino Borgogno, a Salesian priest, who regrouped all the different oratories (Christian youth social clubs) practising basketball in Turin under one organisation, Auxilium Torino, based in the Agnelli oratory.[3][4]
The club was promoted to the fourth-division Serie C in 1970 and moved up to the Serie B in 1972. At the same time another local side, Libertas, based in Asti and sponsored by Saclà, was moving quickly up the divisions, reaching the second division in 1971 and the first division Serie A in 1972.[5] However, Saclà Asti wanted to move to a bigger arena and market, transferring to Turin in 1973, which meant the city had two clubs in the national divisions.
The clubs merged in the 1974 offseason after protracted discussions, with Asti president (Carlo Ercole), coach (Lajos Tóth), players, and sponsors transferring to Auxilium (now Saclà Torino) which played in the newly-formed second division Serie A2 while nearly all the Auxilium players were sent to Asti to play in the Serie B.[3][4]
Serie A
    
In its first season in Serie A2, Auxilium was promoted to the Serie A.
During the 1975 off-season, the club changed coaches and sponsors, with Martini & Rossi becoming the main sponsor under the Chinamartini brand. The renamed team was relegated domestically, but this was compensated by a run to the 1976 Korać Cup final, in which it came back from a first-leg deficit of 24 points to beat Juventud Schweppes by one point in the semifinals before losing in the final to the Yugoslavian team Jugoplastika Split.
Torino returned to Serie A in 1979, staying there until 1989 and battling for honours during that decade, with playoff semifinals places in 1982, 1984, 1985, and 1986.[6]
After one season in the Serie A2, the club returned to the Serie A in 1990, staying there until 1993.
The Minors
    
Though the club finished outside the relegation places in the two Serie A2 seasons it played, it struggled financially and, in July 1995, asked the league to play in the Serie B to reduce its debts, also selling its best players for that purpose.[3][7]
Playing a few years at that level, Auxilium was relegated to Serie B2 at the end of the 1998–99 season, following which it merged with Pallacanestro Cerea Collegno in order to ask for a place in the Serie B1. The latter organisation's president, Giovanni Garrone, became Auxilium president, with the club's base and home arena moved to Collegno.[8] The new organisation did not have more success, and was relegated from the Serie B2 to the Serie C within a year.[6] It played at that level until it was amalgamated into Torino Basket, formed from the merger of two historic Turin clubs, Don Bosco Crocetta and Reale Società Ginnastica, in 2007,[9] disappearing on the occasion.[10]
PMS
    
PMS Basketball was founded in 2009 by the merger of Pallacanestro Moncalieri and Libertas Amici San Mauro (with the PMS an acronym of Pallacanestro Moncalieri San Mauro). Playing in the Serie B Dilettanti (fourth division), the side won promotion and the league's cup in 2009–10.[11]
In 2011, the senior team, based in Turin and playing in the PalaRuffini - changed its name to PMS Torino, keeping the PMS Basketball name for its youth activities. One year later, Antonio Forni, formerly president of Pallacanestro Biella, joined the founder Paolo Terzolo as club co-president, announcing his desire to return Torino to the Serie within three years.[12] It reached the second division DNA Gold in 2013, losing in the promotion playoffs at the end of the season.
Auxilium comeback
    

The club obtained promotion at the second try, beating Agrigento in the 2014–15 finals series to earn a place in Serie A. Soon afterwards, it was announced that Forni had obtained the Auxilium brand that Garrone had given to former coach Giovanni Asti when the club shut down, with the club renamed as Auxilium CUS Torino as a separate legal entity with CUS Torino (Centro Universitario Sportivo, a club founded in 1946) providing the youth sector under an agreement. PMS Basketball, with Terzolo at its head, separated from the club to play in Moncalieri, at a level no higher than the Serie B.[10][13]
Italian Cup winners
    
The 2018 Italian Basketball Cup was the first played by Auxilium Torino. After beating Umana Reyer Venezia in the quarter-finals and then Vanoli Cremona in the semi-finals, in the final game Sasha Vujačić’s layup in the dying seconds lifted Fiat Torino to a 69-67 victory over Germani Basket Brescia for the club's first Italian Cup. After a series of threes in the closing seconds left the game tied, Brescia had the ball for what appeared to be the final possession, but Marcus Landry and Luca Vitali each missed, Deron Washington picked up the loose ball and started a fast break that Vujacic finished with the winning layup. Diante Garrett paced Fiat with 16 points, Nobel Boungou Colo and Vander Blue added 11 points each and Washington scored 10 for the winners. Landry paced Brescia with 22 points and 9 rebounds and Michele Vitali added 14 points in defeat.[14]
Dissolution
    
On 10 May 2019, the Federal Council deducted eight points from Torino due to financial irregularities.[15] Consequently, the club was relegated to the Serie A2 Basket after finishing last in the season. On 28 June 2019, the club was declared bankrupt.[16] In Basket Torino, a new professional club from the city was founded.
Arenas
    
Auxilium Torino played its home games at the 4,500 seat PalaRuffini from 1974 to 2000. From 2000 to 2008, the club used the 1,350 seat PalaCollegno as its home arena. The club returned to PalaRuffini from 2015 to 2018. In 2018, the club moved to the 6,300 seat Palavela.[1]
In European and worldwide competitions
    
    
Season by season
    
| Season | Tier | League | Pos. | Italian Cup | European competitions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 3 | Nazionale A | 1st | |||
| 2013–14 | 2 | LNP Gold | 5th | |||
| 2014–15 | 2 | LNP Gold | 1st | |||
| 2015–16 | 1 | LBA | 15th | |||
| 2016–17 | 1 | LBA | 11th | |||
| 2017–18 | 1 | LBA | 11th | Champion | 2 EuroCup | T16 | 
| 2018–19 | 1 | LBA | 16th | 2 EuroCup | RS | |
Honours
    
    
Notable players
    
1970s
 Romeo Sacchetti 5 seasons: '79–'84 Romeo Sacchetti 5 seasons: '79–'84
 Pino Brumatti 6 seasons: '77–'83 Pino Brumatti 6 seasons: '77–'83
1980s
 Darryl Dawkins 2 seasons: '89–'91 Darryl Dawkins 2 seasons: '89–'91
 Alessandro Abbio 6 seasons: '88–'94 Alessandro Abbio 6 seasons: '88–'94
 Joe Kopicki 3 seasons: '88–'91 Joe Kopicki 3 seasons: '88–'91
 Giampiero Savio 3 seasons: '85–'88 Giampiero Savio 3 seasons: '85–'88
 Davide Pessina 4 seasons: '84–'88 Davide Pessina 4 seasons: '84–'88
 Scott May 3 seasons: '83–'86 Scott May 3 seasons: '83–'86
 Riccardo Morandotti 8 seasons: '82–'90 Riccardo Morandotti 8 seasons: '82–'90
 Renzo Vecchiato 5 seasons: '82–'87 Renzo Vecchiato 5 seasons: '82–'87
 Carlo Caglieris 4 seasons: '81–'85 Carlo Caglieris 4 seasons: '81–'85
1990s
 Jay Vincent 1 season: '92–'93 Jay Vincent 1 season: '92–'93
 Kevin Magee 1 season: '91–'92 Kevin Magee 1 season: '91–'92
2010s
 Jamil Wilson 2 season: '16–'17, '18–present Jamil Wilson 2 season: '16–'17, '18–present
 Ryan Hollins 1 season: 2017 Ryan Hollins 1 season: 2017
 D. J. White 2 season: '15–'17 D. J. White 2 season: '15–'17
 Stefano Mancinelli 3 seasons: '13–'16 Stefano Mancinelli 3 seasons: '13–'16
 Guido Rosselli 2 seasons: '14–'16 Guido Rosselli 2 seasons: '14–'16
 Jerome Dyson 1 season: '15–'16 Jerome Dyson 1 season: '15–'16
 James Michael McAdoo 1 season: '18–'19 James Michael McAdoo 1 season: '18–'19
 Carlos Delfino 1 season: '18–'19 Carlos Delfino 1 season: '18–'19
 Sasha Vujačić 1 season: '17–'18 Sasha Vujačić 1 season: '17–'18
 Trevor Mbakwe 1 season: '17–'18 Trevor Mbakwe 1 season: '17–'18
 Lamar Patterson 1 season: '17–'18 Lamar Patterson 1 season: '17–'18
 Victor Rudd 1 season: 2018 Victor Rudd 1 season: 2018
 Tony Carr Tony Carr
Head coaches
    
 Lajos Tóth 1 season: '74–'75 Lajos Tóth 1 season: '74–'75
 Giovanni Asti 6 seasons: '76–'77, '80–'83, '87–'89 Giovanni Asti 6 seasons: '76–'77, '80–'83, '87–'89
 Sandro Gamba 3 seasons: '77–'80 Sandro Gamba 3 seasons: '77–'80
 Giuseppe Guerrieri 6 seasons: '83–'86, '89–'91, '93–'95 Giuseppe Guerrieri 6 seasons: '83–'86, '89–'91, '93–'95
 Romeo Sacchetti 5 seasons: '96–'98, '96–'98 Romeo Sacchetti 5 seasons: '96–'98, '96–'98
 Luca Banchi 1 season: '17–'18 Luca Banchi 1 season: '17–'18
 Carlo Recalcati 1 season: '18 Carlo Recalcati 1 season: '18
 Larry Brown 1 season: '18 Larry Brown 1 season: '18
 Paolo Galbiati : '18–'19 Paolo Galbiati : '18–'19
Sponsorship names
    
Throughout the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been known as:
- Saclà Torino (1974–75)
- Chinamartini Torino (1975–79)
- Grimaldi Torino (1979–81)
- Berloni Torino (1981–87)
- San Benedetto Torino (1987–88)
- Ipifim Torino (1988–90)
- Auxilium Torino (1990–91)
- Robe di Kappa (1991–93)
- Francorosso (1993–95)
- Kappa (1995–98)
- Caffarel (1998–99)
- Auxilium Torino (1999–02)
- Iscot Auxilium (2002–08)
- Manital Torino (2015–16)
- FIAT Torino (2016–2019)
References
    
-  "Turin, Italy to host first Final Eight!". Euro Cup Basketball. 30 October 2007. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018.
 - "Eurocup Final Eight dates changed". Euro Cup Basketball. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011.
- "Basket: decretato il fallimento dell'Auxilium Torino, ma la pallacanestro del capoluogo piemontese ha un futuro" (in Italian). Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- "La Storia" [A history]. Cuore Giallo Blu (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- Ercole, Guido. "Auxilium - story". AuxiliumCUSTorino (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
-  Tavarozzi, Antonio (21 December 1971). "Le due vie piemontesi al successo nel basket" [The two Piedmontese roads to basketball success]. La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
 - "Saclà Asti - storia" [Saclà Asti - history] (in Italian). Serie A. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- Latagliata, Domenico (16 June 2000). "Auxilium, storia di una crisi" [Auxilium, a crisis' history]. La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- "Torino ko. Addio alla A2, troppi debiti" [Torino knocked out. Goodbye A2, too many debts]. [La Stampa (in Italian). 1 July 1995. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- Latagliata, Domenico (14 June 1999). "Auxilium e Cerea si alleano per vincere" [Auxilium and Cerea team up to win]. La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- "La Storia del Progetto Torino Basket" [History of the Torino Basket project]. Torino Basket (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- Di Schiavi, Vincenzo. "Bentornata Torino La serie A ritrova il mito dell'auxilium" [Welcome back Torino. The Serie A rediscovers the Auxilium myth]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- Mercandino, Claudio (4 April 2010). "Pms, dopo la "A" anche la Coppa Italia. Torino torna a sognare il grande basket" [PMS, it adds the Italian Cup to the "A" [promotion]. Torino dreams of elite basketball again]. la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- Ormezzano, Timothy (22 June 2012). "Basket, operazione serie A, La Pms ora ci prova sul serio" [Basketball, Serie A mission, PMS is now seriously trying]. la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- Latagliata, Domenico (12 June 2015). "Nasce l'Auxilium Cus: testa in A e tanti giovani" [Auxlium CUS is born: its head turned towards the [Serie] A and with many youngsters]. La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- "National cups roundup: February 18, 2018". Euroleague. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- "Consiglio Federale: 8 punti di penalizzazione per Torino, che retrocede matematicamente" [Federal Council: 8 penalty points for Turin, which mathematically relegated]. Basketuniverso (in Italian). 10 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- "Basket: decretato il fallimento dell'Auxilium Torino, ma la pallacanestro del capoluogo piemontese ha un futuro". Retrieved 6 July 2019.
External links
    
- Eurobasket club profile
- Serie A historical results Archived 2018-06-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 August 2015.



