Trapani

In the 1930s, Trapani's youth sports organizations, such as the F.G.C. (Fascist Youth Combat Groups from 1930 to 1937) and the G.I.L. (Italian Youth of the Lictor from 1937 to 1943), laid the groundwork for the development of basketball in the city by organizing the first teams to compete in regional championships during the fascist regime. The earliest recorded basketball game in Trapani took place in 1934, when the local F.G.C. team faced a team from Castellammare del Golfo. In June of the same year, a regional championship was held, where the Trapani team competed against peers from Catania and Agrigento.

In 1935, the F.G.C. Trapani participated in the "Palermo Tournament," possibly an early form of the Second Division, alongside teams from Sicilian cities such as Catania, Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, Syracuse, Messina, and Palermo.

In 1937, the Fascist Youth Combat Groups merged into the Italian Youth of the Lictor, which, in 1938, organized the 15th Sicily Group of the GIL First Division. The Trapani team competed alongside teams from Catania, Agrigento, Enna, and Caltanissetta.

In the early 1940s, young athletes from the GIL joined the Trapani G.U.F. (Fascist University Group), which participated in Group IV of the 1941–1942 Serie B alongside G.U.F. Palermo and G.U.F. Messina. During this period, notable athletes, often versatile in multiple sports, included Umberto Saura (15 November 1915 – 12 January 2000), who excelled in track and field as a pole vaulter and played football for Juventus Trapani, alongside Alberto Corso, Gaetano Sabato (football and track and field), Antonino Ferlito, Rocco Cernigliaro, and Paolo Calafiore (track and field).

Former GIL and GUF athletes who transitioned into coaching and administration, including Bartolomeo Sorrentino, Alberto Cardella, Pino Cardella, and Osvaldo La Cavera, further developed these sporting and organizational foundations.

The post-war period saw the rise of teams driven by associational initiatives or public and independent entities promoting sports activities and championships. Libertas Trapani, active in the 1940s, participated in regional championships for admission to the 1945–46 Serie A. This team was a local branch of the post-war Libertas National Sports Center, which was established to promote sports culture.

Corda Fratres Trapani, a local branch of the Corda Fratres (International Student Federation), was revived after the war and participated in various local and regional tournaments. It later merged, under the leadership of Girolamo "Mommo" Marchello, into the Trapani Basketball Association, active until 1953, when it joined Enal Trapani.

Following a similar model to Libertas, the Enal Trapani Sports Group, later known as Virtus Enal Trapani (or Virtus Trapani Dopolavoro), emerged as a local branch of the National Workers' Assistance Agency. Under the presidency of Professor Renzo Venza and Pio Cavasino, and with the sporting direction of Leonardo Scalabrino, the team was active in the 1950s and 1960s. Virtus Enal competed in Serie C championships and one Serie B championship in 1964–65, earning promotion by defeating Concordia Agrigento 60–37 in the promotion tournament finals held in Agrigento. The team featured promising local players such as Salvatore Castelli, Dino Magaddino, and Aldo Guarnotta, among others, who later contributed to the continuity and quality of basketball in Trapani, playing for the Rosmini Basketball Association (a rival to Virtus Enal and an emerging force in local basketball) and its successor, Cestistica Trapani.

In the late 1950s, the parish of Rosminian Fathers Don Mario Tomasi and Don Oreste Radaelli became a focal point for Trapani and Erice youth through sports activities such as football and basketball. The latter sport united a group of young players who, coached by Ettore Daidone, remained undefeated for about two years across southern Italy, winning three consecutive championships and reaching Serie A (the second tier of the Italian basketball pyramid from 1955 to 1965).

In the 1958–59 season, ASP Rosmini Trapani finished second behind Virtus Enal, which won the Promotion championship, ahead of CUS Palermo. This championship served as a prelude to subsequent seasons that unexpectedly propelled the yellow-green team to the top of Italian basketball.

In the 1962–63 season, ASP Rosmini Trapani competed in Serie B, reaching the final group for promotion. By defeating Salerno 65–52, the team secured promotion to Serie A-Seconda Serie with a roster of local players, including Roald and Giuseppe Vento, Nino Fodale, Ignazio Voi, Roberto Naso, Giovanni Crimi, Franco Gallo, Aldo Guarnotta, Giuseppe Ruffino, and Carlo Lungaro (future president of the Enichem Priolo women's basketball team).

Despite financial challenges, in their debut in 1963–64 Serie A-Seconda Serie, the Trapani team finished ninth (second-to-last), tied with Pall. Catanzaro, with Foggia finishing last. However, a protest by Catanzaro regarding a game played in Bari eliminated the possibility of a relegation play-off, resulting in Rosmini's relegation. This led to the dissolution of the association, which lacked a solid organizational base to continue in the championship, and some players moved to other teams, such as U.S. Palermo or Cestistica Trapani.

In December 1964, Cestistica Trapani was founded, with Francesco Calamia, a Trapani politician and multiple-time Mayor of Trapani, as president. The team inherited Rosmini's sporting title and players, some of whom were also founders of the team. The team competed in Serie B and C championships, achieving strong results in youth categories and consistently participating in national finals, especially in the early 1970s.

In November 1965, Cestistica was renamed Cestistica Edera Trapani under the initiative of Antonio Montanti (a Trapani politician from the Italian Republican Party, hence the team's name), with Giovanni Denaro as president and Giuseppe Vento as vice-president. The team competed in Serie C and participated in the Italian Cup on two occasions. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Italian Cup involved interregional qualifiers, with teams from the top tier down to Serie D competing in groups.

In the 1970–71 tournament, Edera (then in Serie D) advanced past the preliminary rounds of the Southern Group (due to U.S. Palermo's withdrawal in the first round and Etna Catania's in the second) but lost by one point to Libertas Brindisi (then in Serie B) in the quarterfinals.

In the 1972 Italian Cup, the Trapani team was eliminated in the first round by Splugen Reyer Venezia, a top Serie A team at the time. Edera continued its activities, primarily in Serie C, with one relegation to Serie D in 1974, featuring players such as Salvatore "Libero" Ernandez, Paolo Mollura, and Andrea Magaddino, who later became key figures for Pallacanestro Trapani and Basket Trapani.

Meanwhile, Giuseppe Vento remained a driving force in Trapani basketball, both as a player and administrator, striving to revive and energize a club that had long languished at lower national competitive levels. He also introduced Vincenzo Garraffa to basketball.

Garraffa, a politician, laid the groundwork for a new club, Pallacanestro Trapani, particularly after a painful relegation to Serie C2 in 1981.

In 1980, Edera Trapani was renamed Pallacanestro Trapani, and its colors changed from green to maroon. In 1981, Vincenzo Garraffa became president, supported by Salvatore Mazzara, Giovanni Crimi, Roald Vento, and Elio Ippaso. After relegation to Serie C2, the club underwent a technical and organizational restructuring.

In the 1981–1983 period, by signing players such as Tuscan Francesco Mannella, Luigi "Gigi" Ranieri, and Amedeo Mazza, and hiring a non-local coach, Abruzzese Emilio "Mimmo" Trivelli, the new club achieved two consecutive promotions: first to Serie C1, secured a game early by defeating Orlandina, and then to Serie B, a hard-fought promotion won in the play-off final against Virtus Ragusa 2–1 (135–130 in the first win after three overtimes, playing the final minutes four against five, and 93–81 in the second, with 24 points from Campolattano).

The maroon team spent six seasons in Serie B and later in Serie B1. In the 1983–84 season, their first in Serie B, they achieved a respectable seventh place, supported by Angelo Destasio and Giuseppe Padua (along with Mannella and Ranieri).

The following year, in 1984–85, coach Mimmo Trivelli left, and Bruno Boero took over with Massimo Cosmelli. The team finished second, tied with Sutor Montegranaro, but missed the play-offs due to unfavorable head-to-head results.

In the 1985–86 season, the maroon team again finished second, tied with Facar Pescara, but missed the promotion play-offs due to unfavorable head-to-head results, though they were admitted to Serie B1.

In the 1986–87 Serie B d'Eccellenza, a single national group, Pallacanestro Trapani, coached by Stefano Michelini, avoided the relegation play-offs on the final day by defeating Stamura Ancona (with an outstanding Angelo Destasio) to finish ninth.

The following season, 1987–88, was tumultuous, culminating in a relegation play-off. Finishing 13th, the team faced Esperia Cagliari on 8 May at the PalaMaggiò in Caserta, winning 88–72 to retain their spot in the second tier.

The arrival of coach Gianfranco Benvenuti and general manager Valentino Renzi (former president of Legabasket) in 1988 brought a technical and managerial leap forward. The 1988–89 season was one of consolidation, with a strong fifth-place finish, integrating new players such as Davide Lot and Antonio Guzzone.

In the 1989–90 B1 season, the arrival of sharpshooter Giuseppe Cassì and the Vini Racine team, after finishing second in the regular season behind Mens Sana Siena, achieved a long-planned goal under president Vincenzo Garraffa. They defeated Sangiorgese in the play-offs, winning 86–77 in Trapani. In Porto San Giorgio, the game was halted after Mario Piazza was hit by a lighter thrown from the crowd, with the game ending 84–81 for the home team. However, a sports tribunal awarded Trapani a 2–0 victory, securing promotion to Serie A2.

In their first 1990–91 A2 season, Birra Messina Pallacanestro Trapani aimed for survival, finishing eighth in the regular season, which unexpectedly earned them a spot in the play-offs for promotion to Serie A1. They competed in the Yellow Group, finishing tied with Filanto Forlì and Kleenex Pistoia. Based on head-to-head results, Trapani was promoted to the top tier for the first time in its history.

This "double jump" from B1 to A1 was driven by the tenacity of coach Gianfranco "Cacco" Benvenuti (who repeated his success with Reggio Calabria) and a solid core of players, including Francesco "Ciccio" Mannella, Claudio "Bibo" Castellazzi, Mario Piazza, Giuseppe Cassì, and Davide Lot, bolstered in A2 by two highly skilled American players: power forward Reggie Johnson, an NBA champion in 1983 with the Philadelphia 76ers, and center Bobby Lee Hurt.

For all of Sicilian sport, Pallacanestro Trapani's presence in A1 was a historic achievement. In the 1991–92 Serie A1, Giancarlo Sacco replaced Gianfranco Benvenuti, who stepped down for health reasons. With the previous season's roster retained and new additions Stefano Tosi, Wendell Alexis, and John Shasky, the Trapani team unexpectedly finished 14th, defeating Scavolini Pesaro on the final day (with a last-second shot by Tosi), avoiding the second-to-last spot and direct relegation to A2. However, relegation was only delayed, as a disappointing play-out phase ended their top-tier tenure.

Trapani remained in Serie A2 for four more seasons, sponsored by Tonno Auriga. In 1992–93, coached by Riccardo Sales, they finished 10th. In 1993–94, with Giancarlo Sacco returning to replace Ninni Gebbia, they secured 11th place. Meanwhile, President Garraffa stepped down and the remaining shareholders took over management of the club. In 1994–95, with three coaching changes, they finished 14th.

The following year, the club's financial crisis worsened, becoming irreversible, leading to a lackluster 1995–96 season, finishing 14th and last, resulting in direct relegation to Serie B1.

In 1997, after an unremarkable Serie B1 season, Pallacanestro Trapani failed to register for the following championship, leading to the Federal Council's revocation of its league affiliation. This marked the end of its sporting activities, followed by bankruptcy. Contributing factors included perceived geographic and sporting marginality, the significant financial burden of building the PalaGranata (three billion lire, then the only privately built sports facility in southern Italy), unfulfilled promises of public funding (especially from the Sicilian Region), poor technical and managerial decisions, and the lack of a major sponsor.

(1981–1997)

The sponsorship by Birra Messina (Dreher-Heineken) was linked to a controversy in which Vincenzo Garraffa accused Marcello Dell'Utri of alleged threats by mafia boss Vincenzo Virga in 1992, who reportedly said, "Dell'Utri sent me." The legal case concluded in May 2011 with an acquittal in the Supreme Court of Cassation. On 14 April 2009, the judges of the Fourth Court of Appeal in Milan downgraded the charge from attempted extortion to threat (under "voluntary desistance," Article 56, paragraph 3 of the Penal Code), ruling that no further action was required against Dell'Utri or Vincenzo Virga, as the charges were time-barred.

In 1997, on the initiative of Alberto Montericcio, Andrea Magaddino, and Filippo Mucaria, Associazione Basket Trapani was founded, acquiring the Serie C2 title from Amatori Trapani. The following year, they acquired the title of Vis Nova Caltanissetta, competing in Serie B2 in 1999, finishing second behind Premiata Montegranaro, which defeated Trapani in the play-off final. This strong performance led to Basket Trapani being reinstated in Serie B d'Eccellenza.

In their first year in d'Eccellenza, 1999, the team saw a coaching change, with Giacomo Genovese replaced by Cantù native Gianni Lambruschi due to poor results, ultimately avoiding relegation in the play-outs against Ozzano. The following year, the founding trio dissolved, leaving Magaddino in charge. The 2000–01 season, sponsored by Banca Sant'Angelo, ended with a disappointing 13th place and another coaching change between Gianni Lambruschi and Marco Morganti. In 2001, with new coach Gianni Montemurro, the team finished sixth in the regular season, reaching the play-offs but losing in the first round to New Wash Montichiari.

For the 2002–03 season, the maroon club embarked on an ambitious recruitment campaign, signing players such as Augusto Binelli (a legend at Virtus Bologna), Giampaolo Zamberlan, and promising talent Mattia Soloperto. Coached by Rimini native Massimo Bernardi, Basket Trapani reached the play-offs, defeating Imola and Montegranaro but losing in the final to Banco di Sardegna Sassari 2–1. The following year, with the core of Virgilio-Zamberlan-Binelli retained, in the 2003–04 season, coached by new Abruzzese coach Tony Trullo, Basket Trapani lost two consecutive finals: first to Univer Vernici Castelletto Ticino and then to Tris Rieti, both 2–1.

The strong performances of previous seasons and the disqualification of Banca Popolare Ragusa paved the way for a reinstatement in Legadue in 2004.

For the leap to the new league, the club hired a young and promising coach, Grosseto native Luca Banchi, and in 2004–05, the team's performance, showcasing the talents of Darby, Clack, and Owens, resulted in a 10th-place finish, narrowly missing the play-offs.

In 2005, the club appointed another young coach, Luigi Gresta, but he left after less than a month due to off-court issues. He was replaced by Giancarlo Sacco, a familiar figure in local basketball, who could not reverse the team’s fortunes. Trapani was relegated at the end of a disastrous 2005–06 season, earning eight points, cycling through two coaches, and using 22 players.

In the 2006–07 season, president Andrea Magaddino chose to remain at the helm despite the previous season’s disaster, launching a three-year plan for promotion to Legadue. The plan included appointing a nationally renowned sporting director, Trapani native Giuseppe Barbara, in his first non-coaching role after serving as coach during Pallacanestro Trapani’s struggles, and a young, experienced coach, Avellino native Gianluca Tucci, well-versed in Serie B d'Eccellenza. At the end of the 2007 season, Basket Trapani finished third in the regular season and was eliminated in the play-off quarterfinals by Fulgor Basket Fidenza 2–1.

In the following season, the 2007–08 season, and still under the guidance of Gianluca Tucci, Basket Trapani finished second in the regular season and earned a spot in the playoffs. In the final against New Basket Brindisi, led by Sicilian coach Giovanni Perdichizzi, Trapani won Game 1 at PalaIlio 79–76 but lost Game 2 at PalaPentassuglia 79–74, missing promotion to Legadue by a two-point difference.

In the 2008–09 season, after an inconsistent campaign marked by a coaching change from Marco Calvani to Marcello Perazzetti, the team finished fifth, qualifying for the play-offs but losing in the quarterfinals to Robur Basket Osimo 2–1. At the end of the season, President Andrea Magaddino announced the sale of the sporting title and the club, citing economic and sporting challenges as the reason for his decision to end his long tenure.

On 16 June 2009, after twelve years, ownership passed from Andrea Magaddino to Alessandro Massinelli, an entrepreneur from Ribera. For the 2009–10 season, the team was revamped under GM Francesco Lima and new coach Giovanni Benedetto. The first season under Massinelli ended with an unexpected fifth place, qualifying for the play-offs. Despite a limited roster (with Cristiano Masper and Fabio Marcante leaving during the season), Benedetto’s team reached the play-off quarterfinals, losing to Liomatic Perugia 2–1.

Retaining Giovanni Benedetto as coach led to a major overhaul of the starting lineup for the 2010–11 Serie A Dilettanti season, with the addition of Francesco Guarino, Ariel Svoboda, and Luca Bisconti (key players in Barcellona’s promotion the previous year), alongside Marco Evangelisti and Walter Santarossa. Despite financial difficulties (unpaid salaries), the team remained united. As Benedetto recalled in an interview: "On December 18, the six seniors and I locked ourselves in a room and decided to move forward. Despite the difficulties, we did it. With passion. If anyone had wanted to leave, that would have been the moment. No one left. We had made a choice. We accepted all the consequences that came with it."

With a limited roster due to financial constraints, the season ended with first place in Group B and qualification for the play-offs, where Trapani defeated a resilient Sant'Antimo 3–2 in the semifinals. They faced Leonessa Brescia in the final, losing 3–0, but later secured promotion to Legadue in Game 3 of the final series against Ostuni.

However, registration for the new league faced complications: the Legadue assembly, led by president Bonamico, rejected Trapani’s registration, a decision upheld by the Italian National Olympic Committee due to incorrect financial parameters identified by the federal oversight body Comtec. The situation was further complicated by a related appeal to the TAR and the efforts of the organized fan group, Trapanesi Granata, to save the club from financial and sporting ruin.

The summer dispute concluded with a change in ownership, as the club was acquired by Trapani-born entrepreneur Pietro Basciano (with businesses in Emilia-Romagna). The Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) decided to relegate the club three divisions, resulting in its registration in the Divisione Nazionale C (formerly C Dilettanti).

Basciano withdrew the appeal to the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) and renamed the club Pallacanestro Trapani Sporting Club. The new club, led by Flavio Priulla (assistant coach in Trapani since 2001), achieved its first seasonal milestone by winning the Coppa Italia DNC, defeating Cento 67–59, with Ariel Svoboda named MVP of the final. The team also completed the DNC regular season (Group I) undefeated, a unique achievement in Italy. Subsequently, the team won the playoffs, defeating Pol. Acireale in the final (the eighth final in its short history), earning promotion to Divisione Nazionale B.

For the fourth national division, the Trapani club assembled a strong roster with the acquisition of Luca Ianes and Nelson Rizzitiello in an attempt to win the championship immediately and reach what would later be called LegaDue Silver (formerly Divisione Nazionale A). Finishing third in the regular season and being eliminated in the playoff semifinals by Roseto resulted in a season below expectations, marked by sporting disappointments. At the end-of-season press conference, president Pietro Basciano announced, "We are working to avoid playing another DNB championship. We have been offered four titles, two of Divisione Nazionale A Gold and two of Legadue Silver", indicating the possibility of advancing to the second or third national championship.

After various vicissitudes, on 2 July 2013, Pallacanestro Trapani exchanged its sporting title with Scafati Basket, moving from DNB to the new DNA Gold (formerly Legadue). Following the promotion, the club appointed Lino Lardo as the new head coach, who led the team to a comfortable mid-table finish, narrowly missing the playoffs. The following year began with the appointment of General Manager Julio Trovato from Turin and a largely unchanged roster (Renzi-Baldassarre-Ferrero-Bossi), but the team failed to reach the playoffs, performing well below expectations.

The disappointing two-year period in terms of results (2013–14: 11th in Divisione Nazionale A Gold; 2014–15: 10th in Serie A2 Gold) led to a coaching change with the arrival of Ugo Ducarello (previously assistant coach to Perdichizzi, Pozzecco, and Sacchetti), who succeeded Lardo for the 2015–16 Serie A2 season, which ended with elimination in the playoff round of 16 against Brescia. In the following season, the team finished eighth in the West Group of Serie A2, qualifying for the playoffs but losing 3–0 to Treviso in the round of 16. The next season was inconsistent: five consecutive wins propelled the team to second place (qualifying for the Coppa Italia), but five subsequent losses led to the dismissal of head coach Ugo Ducarello, who was replaced by his assistant Daniele Parente. Finishing sixth, the team qualified for the playoffs but was eliminated 3–1 in the round of 16 by Treviso.

The reappointment of the coach and a significant roster overhaul led the team to a ninth-place finish and consecutive playoff qualification, where they were eliminated 3–2 in the round of 16 by Treviso. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of the 2019–20 season with the team in sixth place; the championship was not resumed and was officially canceled. The pandemic also affected the 2020–21 season (no spectators and a modified schedule), which ended with a 13th-place finish and elimination in the playoff quarterfinals against APU Udine. With the departure of Andrea Renzi and a partial roster renewal, the ninth consecutive season in the second tier was hampered by numerous injuries, resulting in a ninth-place finish and exclusion from the playoff zone.

The problems from the last season continued into the next championship, which was marked by a big change to the team roster halfway through the season (including the return of Andrea Renzi and the addition of Stumbris), concluding with a 17th-place finish (8th in the regular season and 5th in the white group) and exclusion from the playoff zone.

The end of the previous season coincided with president Pietro Basciano’s intention to sell the club to Valerio Antonini, a Roman entrepreneur in the cereal sector, already involved in Trapani through the acquisition of majority shares in the city’s football team, Trapani. The negotiations, initially promising, were halted.

Unconvinced by the club’s financial situation, Antonini, through his company Sport Invest, registered a new sports association named Trapani Shark, which acquired the Serie A2 sporting title from Stella Azzurra Roma. At the start of the season, the Sicilian team confirmed Daniele Parente as head coach and Alex Latini as second assistant, adding Daniele Quilici as first assistant. The season began with the 2023 Supercoppa LNP tournament, where the team won its first trophy under Antonini’s management, defeating Treviglio 83–67 in the final.

The regular season was marked by a new all-time record for consecutive wins in Serie A2 (since the 2013–14 season), with the team achieving a 14-game winning streak after a home victory against Treviglio. This streak extended to 17 consecutive wins, ending with a loss to Cividale in the first game of the "clock phase".

In the Coppa Italia LNP, the Trapani team was defeated in the semifinals by Fortitudo Bologna, a loss that led to the dismissal of head coach Daniele Parente, who was replaced by Andrea Diana.

The "clock phase" concluded with a first-place finish, granting access to the playoffs, where the team defeated Piacenza 3–1 in the quarterfinals, Verona 3–0 in the semifinals, and Fortitudo Bologna 3–1 in the final, securing promotion to Serie A and the title of Italian Amateur Champion.

For the return to Serie A after 32 years, the Trapani management opted to change the coaching staff, hiring experienced Croatian coach Jasmin Repeša, with Andrea Diana agreeing to stay as assistant coach. The regular season concluded with a second-place finish and qualification for the playoffs, where the team defeated Pallacanestro Reggiana in the quarterfinals but was defeated by Pallacanestro Brescia in the semifinals. During the season, the team was also eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia by Pallacanestro Trieste.

For the following season (2025–26), the club will face a four-point deduction in the standings due to administrative irregularities.