Universo Treviso Basket

History

Following the Benetton family's planned withdrawal from professional basketball that would occur in July 2012 and see Benetton Treviso without backing, the Universo Treviso consortium was launched in March 2012 with the goal to assure the club's continued presence as a professional outfit. Former players, chief of which Riccardo Pittis who served as the consortium's guarantor, were at the basis of the initiative.

After overcoming some hurdles thanks to the efforts of the like of Pittis, Claudio Coldebella and Paolo Vazzoler (named president), the consortium managed to obtain enough funding to create a new club on 4 July 2012, with funds from five local businessmen and the sixty-seven firms involved in the consortium. The new company managing the club, Treviso Basket s.r.l., was given Benetton Treviso's sporting rights for free, though the latter had earlier withdrawn from the first division Serie A in order to aplly for the amateur leagues (as a youth club). However, the Italian Basketball Federation, who decide which clubs are admitted into the national leagues, refused Treviso Basket's application to join the Serie A, a decision upheld by the Federal Court on 2 August 2012. The explanation by Federation president Dino Meneghin was that admitting the newly created organisation would go against league rules and create an unsustainable legal precendent (indebted clubs - not the case of Benetton Treviso - forming a new organisation to stay in the league), Meneghin also bemoaned the lack of reaction since Benetton announced its withdrawal eighteen months beforehand and the fact that the two entities did not merge.

The club reacted slowly, integrating the amateur Promozione (seventh division) thanks to support from Benetton Treviso transferred them their Under 19 squad and personnel. Treviso Basket earned promotion to the Serie D by winning the 2012-13 Promozione championship playoffs. It then considered a number of options to reach a higher level immediately, of which buying sporting rights from indebted clubs (requiring to service the debt as well). The side would earn a wild card to the fourth-division Divisione Nazionale B, finishing the regular season in fourth place before being eliminated in the promotion playoff quarterfinals.

After buying the sporting rights of B.N.B. Corato, Universo Basket Treviso, the renamed Treviso Basket 2012 (the 2012 having been added earlier at the Italian federation's request), moved into the Serie A2 Silver, the nominal third division but soon to be merged with the second division Serie A2 Gold. Treviso would go on to win a shock 2014-15 Serie A2 Silver title in regular season, moving on to the joint Gold/Silver playoffs where they lost in the first round.

Arena

During the first two years of its existence, Treviso Basket played in the Centro Natatorio and PalaCicogna (in Ponzano Veneto) respectively. In 2014 it moved into the PalaVerde (capacity:5,144), the state of the art former home of Benetton Treviso.

Domestic competitions

Sponsorship names

Throughout the years, due to sponsorship, the club has been known as: