Rookies Virtus Cynergi have just completed a fairytale campaign in the Malta Basketball Association season.

Formed just less than a year ago, Virtus engaged Paul Ferrante as coach and his players took the national championship by storm on their debut. The team flourished to become serious challengers for the main honours before dethroning former champions A-Z Electronics Athleta from their perch by beating them 3-0 in the final play-off series to clinch the title on their first attempt.

Ferrante’s influence was behind Cynergi’s rise in the league as the former Floriana coach did well to assemble a competitive squad and lead the side to a memorable year, having also won the MBA Shield earlier in the season.

“It has truly been a remarkable year for us,” Ferrante told The Sunday Times of Malta.

“Honestly, as things developed I wasn’t surprised that Virtus won the league but what really amazed me was the manner in which we achieved the feat as it was no easy joke for us to beat Athleta 3-0 in the final.

“Our victories over Athleta in the MBA Shield final and the opening leg of the Louis Borg Cup final gave us a clear indication that we could aim high as the season went along. The team peaked at the right moment and that probably did the trick for us.

“Athleta have a formidable team and we have great respect for them. In the last 10 years or so they wrote the history of the game here. So, beating them in the final adds more prestige to our championship feat.”

For Ferrante success at Virtus was somewhat of a personal milestone as it came 15 months after he was relieved of his duties by former team Floriana, the team he had led to stardom after becoming Malta champions for the first time in 2013.

“I must admit that when the league got underway I had extra fire in my belly as I wanted to prove myself as a coach,” Ferrante, who played for Pembroke and Luxol, said.

Paul Ferrante (second left) celebrates with his players at the Ta’ Qali pavilion.Paul Ferrante (second left) celebrates with his players at the Ta’ Qali pavilion.

“It was a season that was not short of problems with some of our first-teamers hampered by injury. Key players like Peter Shoults and Anton Axiaq were out for a few weeks.

“But their absence also gave us a chance to introduce the fringe players in the squad. In fact, they provided me with more options, particularly during crucial play-offs matches.”

But from where did the idea to form Cynergi Virtus emerge?

“There was this suggestion that a new team will be formed and represent Valletta in the national league,” Ferrante said.

“However, after a couple of weeks there was no feedback but we still persisted in this path. We knew that there were a couple of players who were available in the off-season and it also emerged that Starlites were not interested in fielding a team in the men’s league.

To have a winning team it’s not enough to hire a good coach… it’s also vital for the players to adopt the right approach

“So, we reached an agreement with Starlites to amalgamate with their nursery and took their status to compete in the championship.”

Ferrante’s main task was to assemble a competitive squad. His first major signing was Peter Shoults from Floriana.

Shoults was followed by Sean Pace, the former Athleta playmaker. David Bugeja and Anton Axiaq also accepted the challenge and left Depiro to sign for Virtus while Graham Coleiro and Ivan Buldakov joined on a loan basis from Siġġiewi and Athleta respectively.

The choice of the foreign player was more problematic though as first-choice Nathan Walkup suffered a knee injury in pre-season training and was replaced by Chris Maier.

Maier eventually left the club in December to play in Luxembourg and Virtus engaged Mike Breusewitz who turned out to be a huge acquisition.

“If you are going to play in the First Division you need a competitive squad,” Ferrante said.

“Even if you want to develop the talent of young players you have to put them in a high-quality side as that is the only way for them to maximise their potential.

“That’s what makes me think that the secret of our success was sheer dedication.

“We had a group of players who showed great commitment. After reaching the play-offs they sacrificed their midweek day off to meet for video analysis and on Saturdays we also had extra training sessions.

“We all know that to have a winning team it’s not enough to hire a good coach... it’s also vital for the players to adopt the right approach. In my opinion my team was exceptional in this regard.”

Virtus have no plans to rest on their laurels and Ferrante already has plans in mind.

“Our first goal is to make sure we don’t have too many changes in the squad. We must try to keep the same team from last season and, perhaps, add one or two experienced players to our roster.

“Added to that we can also rely on a very healthy youth base at Virtus.

“This season our U-23 side won the championship unbeaten and that speaks volume of their potential. We have players like Alec Felice, Anthony Schembri, Thomas Grech and Miguel Falzon who represent the future of our club.

“Next season we will have a tough task on our hands to retain our status as champions. Athleta will always be there among the main contenders. Also, with the addition of one or two good players Siġġiewi and Floriana will be dangerous opponents.

“For sure, it’s a great challenge for us but one that we relish and look forward to.”

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