The History of
A. P. Treviso

Founded in 1954 as Duomo Folgore, in 1961 the first appareance in A division, but for that year only. Then as A.P. Treviso the claim from fourth division to C Division in 1976 and to B Division a year later. Sponsored by Liberti, the Club finally reaches the A2 division in 1979, getting to A1 two years later, with Mario De Sisti as Head coach. In 1982 A.P. Treviso is sold to the Benetton family and Gianni Furlan is the first president. The Palaverde becomes the home of the Club that, for a few years, goes up and down from A1 to A2 and viceversa. In A1 since 1987, the best result of the eighties is in 1989 with the 5th position and a place in the Korac Cup. The 1990/91 season is marked by the arrival of Coach Petar Skansi and NBA guard Vinny Del Negro: once again 5th position and qualification to the Korac Cup. A year later the arrival of croatian star Tony Kukoc and Italy's best center, Stefano Rusconi, brings new championship hopes to the Club.

A loss in the Italian Cup championship game, then an incredible elimination in the Korac Cup by Peristeri, but, at the end of the final serie against Scavolini Pesaro, the first Italian Championship lands in Treviso. Del Negro's return to the NBA is replaced by Terry Teagle and the following season brings the first Italian Cup and two losses in final games: first against Limoges in Euroclub Final Four in Athens, then against Buckler Bologna in the Italian Championship final serie. With the 1993/94 season the presidency switches from Enrico Fumo to Giorgio Buzzavo, already C.E.O. of Verde Sport, and Kukoc departs for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. The team has a new coach in Fabrizio Frates while the main acquisition is national team forward Riccardo Pittis. Once again the bright moment of the season is the Italian Cup win.

The 1994/95 season is one of the most successful in the history of the Club; under new coach Mike D'Antoni, Treviso wins the Italian Cup for the third consecutive season and its first european trophy, the Eurocup, by beating Taugres Vitoria in Istanbul. The great combination of guard Petar Naumoski and NBA veteran forward Orlando Woolridge makes it unforgettable and only the injuries to both foreign players in the Italian Championship final against Buckler Bologna prevents Treviso from reaching an historical "slam". Then it's time for big changes, such as the departure of center Stefano Rusconi, NBA bound to the Phoenix Suns, and veterans Massimo Iacopini, Alberto Vianini and Maurizio Ragazzi. The year of transition leads to the maturity of young talents such as nationals Davide Bonora and Denis Marconato melting in with foreign stars Henry Williams and Zeljko Rebraca. Treviso is on the run again and the 1996/97 means the second italian championship and a future as protagonist at top level. A record 5 wins ahead of second place Fortitudo Bologna in the regular season, then a memorable 3 - 2 championship run against Carlton Myers and his squad. But the post victory party also means the departure of Mike D'Antoni to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA and the arrival of Europe's winningest coach, Zelimir Obradovic, also at the helm of the Yugoslavian world championship team.

The new season is marked by the Italian Super Cup win against traditional rival Kinder Bologna, an Italian Cup final and the first partecipation to the McDonald's Open, in Paris. The highlight of the season is the EuroLague Final Four in Barcelona where only a one point loss to greek AEK ATHENS brings Treviso to the third final place in the european standing.
Coach Obradovic is back to his bench for the new 1998/99 season with his group of veteran players: Bonora, Pittis, Marconato, Williams, Rebraca and Sekunda. The new arrivals include Marcelo Nicola, argentinian star with several season in the spanish ACB, a genuine spanish player, Tomas Jofresa, and two more "EC players", Billy DiSpalatro and Casey Schmidt. And the season becomes one to be remembered. A semifinal double overtime loss to Kinder Bologna in the Italian Cup; a perfect run in the Saporta Cup, eliminating Partizan Belgrade in the quarterfinals and Buducnost, the top yugoslavian team today, in the semifinal and beating Valencia in the final game in Saragozza. The italian regular season ends with a forth place: Milan is eliminated in the quarterfinal round, Teamsystem is beaten 3-2 with an incredible last second block by Marconato in Bologna for Treviso first win ever in Casalecchio and the guarantee of a place in the 1999/2000 Euroleague. The championship series is lost against eventual champions Roosters Varese as they end a memorable season home record for Treviso of 29 consecutive home wins.

After the renouncing of Obradovic in the season 99/2000 the Benetton Basket trusts in a young coach as the former coach of Rimini, Piero Bucchi, and renews the team formation with the buy of Sheppard and Tyus Edney, MVP of the Euroleague. The effects are extraordinary with the conquest of the Italian Cup in Reggio Calabria and the final play-off after defeating Kinder Bologna (3-0); (1-3) against Paf Bologna.

Cup of Cups
1994/95
1998/99
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National Championship
1991/92
1996/97

National Cup
1992/93
1993/94
1994/95
1999/00

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