By Niki Bakouli/ bakouli@eurohoops.net
Anna Cremascoli is the president of Pallacanestro Cantu, a woman in a men’ s basketball world. So, maybe she is the secret of Cantu’s success in 2011-12 season. Eurohoops.net talked with her about that, about the future of the team, but also about the challenges that a woman has to face as president of a basketball club in Europe.
– First of all, congratulations for everything you did at this year’s Euroleague. You were there during the whole process, you traveled with the team. You lived almost the hall experience, you have been almost everywhere. Which are the five moments you wont ever forget -lets say, the best five “pictures” which will remain forever in your mind?
“The first picture is our first match and first win in Euroleague against Nancy. We had some problems at the beginning, but we recovered and we obtained a great win, the first victory for Cantù in Euroleague after more than 20 years. Then of course I can’t forget the win against Olympiacos, the future champion of Euroleague, the incredible shoot of Basile at Bilbao, crucial for the qualification at Top 16. For me is a great honor to bring back Cantù in the best 16 team in Europe. In the Top 16 I remember the victory against Maccabi, one of the powerhouse of this competition and the match against Barcelona. We lost for only one point and we’ve competed until the last shoot”.
– Your family became Bennet Cantu’s owners in 2008. Which was the main concept before your family agreed on having a basketball team under their umbrella and most specific Cantu?
“We’ve been Cantù sponsor before 2008. In 2008 Cantù risked to go bankrupt because the precedent owner couldn’t support any more economically the club. We thought that a historical basketball club like Cantù couldn’t disappear, so we decided to became the owner of Pallacanestro Cantù”.
– Actually, is it Bennet Cantu or Canterbury Cantu, because I read Bennet left. Can you tell us what happened?
“It was strange situation because we were confident that Bennet was happy for the great results of the team. But Bennet has an escape clause at the end of the season and they decided, for their reason, to use it”.
– And it was last September, when you became the first woman president in Italian basketball league, and the only one in Europe, at top level teams. I have so many things to ask about that. Lets start from… the actual meaning of “ladies first”. Is it a reality or not, at General Assemblies?
“It’s not easy be the only woman in the basket world that is considered a men environment. At the beginning, sometimes the people talked to my husband because they thought that he was the president. But I’m confident that a woman’s vision can be useful for the basketball world and I go on, also because I’m a mechanical engineer and I’m used to live into men’ s world”.
– How useful was after all the experience you have from many years at your family’s business, where… I guess you are if not the only woman, one of not too many?
“My job experience was basic to approach this new world. I try to bring some concepts of the organization of my company in the club without forget that the sport is something different from a normal business”.
– Is it true or not that when you are a woman and you trying to survive in a men’ s world, you have to… leave aside your woman status and become… more of a man -at your behavior?
“I don’t think so. I’m myself in the job and in the sport and I’m a woman president that is first a woman and then a president. My way is a woman’s way”.
– Your profession (mechanical engineer) helped you in any way?
“Yes. I suppose that influence my way of thinking. I try to face problems with rationality without the influence of the emotion and, in this aspect, probably my formation helps me a lot”.
– The fact you are a mother -so you know how to treat kids- helped you? After all basketball players have always their inner kid alive, as long as they make money by wearing short shorts and having a ball in their hands.
“When we buy a player the first aspect that we try to estimate is the human quality. We want first good people and then good player, so I can’t compare the player with the kids. But the fact that I’m a mother gives me a lot of patience that always helps…especially into a sport team”.
– What do you like most about basketball? Why you love this sport? Why you didn’t buy a football team?
“Basketball is a beautiful, incredible sport. I love basket because not the strongest always wins, but if you play all smart and as a unit, you can win everyone. Football? Definitely it isn’t my sport although my favorite soccer team is Inter”.
– Can you name the three main reasons for your company’s success, which applied to your team’s success?
“Organization, the right person in the right position, passion”.
– Are you going to change arena, any time soon? Are you going to have a new sports hall?
“Probably we’ll have a new arena in Cantù for the season 2013/2014. It’ s a crucial key for our development because we need a new house to increase the numbers of our fans and the possibilities for our sponsor. We had good results a in Desio last year and we want to consolidate our club with a new arena in Cantù”.
– Where do you see Cantu in three years from now? Maybe at the top of the Italian league? And which are going to be the main characteristics of this team?
“We want to confirm our team at the top level in Italy and obtain good results also in Europe. If we will able to remain at the top we will probably obtain a trophy. The main characteristic of the team is the will to fight everywhere and against all the opponent and the devotion for our club and our team”.
– Which is the budget of success? And how hard is to find sponsors to help your vision?
“This is not a god period for the economy in general, so it’s quite hard to find sponsor but that I believe that the key for success is not a big budget bust is a big passion that must start form the top of the club”.
– In one of your not so many interviews, you said “”Trinca” is a coach crazy, brilliant for me”. How blessed you feel, you found a coach like Andrea Trinchieri? Which are his best advantages?
“Andrea is one of the key of our team. We are very glad to discovered Andrea because with him we make a decisive step ad the same is for him”.
– What actually happened with Georgi Sermantini, after we read he signed to Maccabi before the end of Lega’s season? Is it true you are going to FIBA?
“We didn’t like the Shermadini behaviour because his agent signed an agreement with Maccabi before the end of the season without talking with us and our society. For me is not the right way to behave so we are thinking to enforce our reasons in FIBA”
– Which team is Euroleague’s best, to your mind? And which team functions with the best possible way (value for money), in Italy?
“I appreciate much the policy of Bizkaia Basket Bilbao. A serious club with a beautiful arena and an incredible public. In Italy we have to respect the capacity of Siena to remain at the top for many years”.
– What you have to say about this year’s champion, Olympiacos and about CSKA Moscow being the absolute favorite but… wasn’t able to get the title?
“Olympiacos realized an incredible upset that showed that the budget was important, but, in the sport, is more important the harmony of the team”.
– Are the 24 hours of each day enough for you?
“Yes, but it’s not easy to accommodate job, team and family”.