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Mario Boni (born 30 June 1963 in Codogno, Italy) is an Italian former professional basketball player.

Playing as shooting guard or small forward, he had a long career in the Italian leagues, finishing as the top scorer of the top-tier level Serie A, in the 1993–1994 season.

He also played club basketball internationally, most notably for Greek side Aris, with whom he won the 1996–97 FIBA Korać Cup.

Professional career

Early career

Boni played in the youth ranks of birth town side Fulgor Codogno before joining Unione Cestistica Piacentina of the fifth division Serie C2 in 1982.

The next year he moved to American Eagle Vigevano of the second division Serie A2, they were relegated to the Serie B a year later.

Montecatini

Riled as a player without a future, that did not have what it took to play at a high level, no one believed in Boni except Montecatini S.C., a Serie B club he joined in 1985.

He stayed 9 years with the Tuscany based club, forming a famous duo with Andrea Niccolai (in Italian) that saw them nicknamed "i gemelli" (the twins). They were both crucial in the successive promotions of Montecatini, first in Serie A2 after the 1986–87 season, then for a historical first promotion to the top tier Serie A in 1989.

Though they were relegated after one season, with Niccolai being sold shortly after, Boni participated in yet another promotion in 1990–91 to return the side to the Serie A. His 765 points during the 1992–93 season were the league's best, though he scored them in 4 more games than official (per mean) top scorer Larry Middleton.

The next year, after a 2 January 1994 game against Onyx Caserta, anabolic agents (nandrolone) were found in the urine sample he provided. Boni denied the doping charges despite the B-sample also coming back positive, he claimed to have unwittingly used an American drug to cure a fever. However the explanation was described as ridiculous by the judge, with the player subsequently banned for two years by the Italian federation.

Despite not playing for the rest of the 1993–94 season, he finished as the league's top scorer with 30,5 points per game on average.

Foreign forays

Boni later moved to the United States, joining United States Basketball League side Memphis Fire on 4 June 1994. He stayed with the Fire for only a week, leaving on 11 June 1994. A stint with the Yakima Sun Kings of the Continental Basketball Association followed, he finished his U.S. career with 9 and 11,7 points per game respectively for each side. He later described that period as difficult, citing lack of motivation and modest playing conditions.

After the suspension was reduced to 18 months by the federation, Boni rejoined Montecatini, by this time back in Serie A2, staying for the 1995–96 season. At the end of a season, with the team underachieving, the president told Boni that the budget would be reduced and his contract could not be assured.

Taking advantage of the recent Bosman ruling, the Italian signed with Greek Basket League side Aris B.C. in 1996. Struggling to adapt to the Greek game and out of favour with the coach, he had to wait until the arrival of coach Slobodan Subotić to become a starter. He had a decisive contribution to the team's 1997 Korać Cup victory over Turkish side Tofaş, scoring 20 points in the second leg of the final (16 in the first). After winning the Greek Basketball Cup in February 1998, he left the cash-strapped club a few days later.

Signing with Serie A side Calze Pompea Roma in February 1998, Boni only played a handful of games before a doping test revealed the presence of the anabolic steroid clostebol in his body after a 15 March match the same year. Risking a life suspension for his second doping offence, the 35-year-old was instead suspended for 2 years in April 1998, with the admission by doctor Andrea Billi of using a spray containing the product on the player not given credence to. However the player, vocally claiming his innocence, appealed the sentence, it was overturned shortly after by the federal court who accepted Billi's story.

He stayed another year with Rome before joining Spanish Liga ACB side Cantabria Lobos in 1999. Moving to Spain at 36, he struggled to adapt to the league, leaving before the end of the season, with 5,6 points in 18 minutes on average and poor shooting (41% and 27% from the 2 and 3 point line).

Later career

Returning to Italy permanently in 2000, he finished the season with Roseto Basket, earning yet another promotion to the Serie A, where he played for two seasons.

The next year, with Teramo Basket of the Serie A2, he also helped the team promote to the first division. During the Serie A 2003-04 season, he finished - at 40 - as the league's second best scorer

Boni stayed in Serie A, joining Sicc Cucine Jesi in 2004, where he reunited with Subotić. However, after publicly criticising some teammates on radio, he was suspended by the side in March 2005, moving to Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna. Finishing the season with Virtus, in the second division, he was part of his fifth career promotion as the team won the playoff final.

He returned to Montecatini in 2005, in the second division, there he was reunited with Niccolai on the court, playing a final season together.

Boni moved on to Unione Cestistica Casalpusterlengo of the Serie B1 in 2006, but could not achieve another promotion in the two years he spent there.

Amateur career

Boni returned to Piacentina, of the fourth division Serie C Dilettanti. Playing for them between 2008 and 2010 he won the league cup and contributed to their promotion to the Serie B Dilettanti.

He then turned up for Arese in 2010 and Monza in 2010–11.

Joining Roveleto in 2012, he lost the Serie C Dilettanti playoff final, announcing his retirement soon after in June of the same year.

However he later returned for Meridien Monsummano in September 2013, helping them earn a promotion to the Serie B the same year. Before playing in the competition he left the side in the 2014 preseason, citing the impossible conciliation of training with his other activities, including his role as vice president of GIBA (the Italian players union).

A month later he joined Augies Montecatini, playing in a local amateur division, he is still with the side as of June 2015.

National team career

Despite being the Italian top scorer in the league on a regular basis, he only played a solitary game for the Italian national team, an 11 February 1992 friendly against Czechoslovakia, scoring 9 points.

Boni won the FIMBA Over 50 basketball World Cup with the Italian representative side in July 2013, scoring 45 points in a 79–73 victory, coincidentally played in Thessaloniki.

Personal

He is referred to by the nicknames Super Mario or "Mitraglia" (machine gun), the latter for his deadly shooting.

References

1. ^ "Mario Boni" [Mario Boni]. Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2015.
2. ^ Brancoli, Fabrizio (3 July 2012). "Boni e Niccolai, gemelli per sempre" [Boni and Niccolai, twins for ever]. Corriere dello Sport – Stadio (in Italian). Montecatini. Retrieved 8 October 2005.
3. "Cager fails drugs test". Google News Archive. Milan: New Straits Times. 27 January 1994. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
4. Tommasi, Alessandro (3 February 1994). "Nessuno crede a boni due" [No one believes Boni]. la Repubblica (in Italian). Rome. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
5. Vanetti, Flavio (27 January 1994). "Scandalo basket: doping per un azzurro" [Basketball scandal:doping for an Italian player]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2015.
6. "Transactions". Google News Archive. Observer–Reporter. 11 June 1994. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
7. ^ Ortiz, Javier (23 July 2013). "Mario Boni: 'Capo cannonieiri' en Torrelavega" [Mario Boni: "capo cannonieri" at Torrelavega]. espacioligaendesa.com (in Spanish). Liga Endesa. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
8. Maggitti, Luca (11 November 2013) . "Amarcord: SuperMario in America" [Bitter memory: SuperMario in America]. GIBA.it (in Italian). Superbasket Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
9. "Boni squalificato per 2 anni" [Boni suspended for 2 years]. Rai Sport 1 (in Italian). Rome. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
10. ^ Maggitti, Luca (13 November 2013) . "Amarcord: SuperMario in Grecia" [Bitter memory: SuperMario in Greece]. GIBA.it (in Italian). Superbasket Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
11. "Tofas hands Korac Cup to Aris Salonica". Hürriyet Daily News. 4 May 1997. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
12. Gancedo, Javier (20 December 2004). "The club scene: Aris Egnatia Bank". Eurocup Basketball. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
13. "Boni assolto dall' accusa di doping, Roma vuol ripetere i playoff" [Boni acquitted of doping accusations, Rome wants the playoffs replayed]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 1 May 1998. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
14. "Historial estadístico - Boni, Mario" [Statistical history - Boni, Mario]. Liga ACB (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 June 2015.
15. ^ Catenaro, Nicola (21 August 2014). "Mario Boni, l'highlander del basket" [Mario Boni, the highlander of basketball]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2015.
16. "Boni: destinazione Bologna" [Boni: destination Bologna]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Bologna. 15 March 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
17. "La Virtus Bologna torna in A" [Virtus Bologna returns to A]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Porto San Giorgio. 4 June 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
18. "Il decano Mario Boni annuncia il ritiro" [The elder Mario Boni announces his retirement]. Corriere dello Sport – Stadio (in Italian). Roma. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
19. De Maio, Raffaele (29 September 2014). "Mario Boni dà l'addio alla Meridien Monsummano" [Mario Boni says goodbye to Meridien Monsummano]. Il Tirreno (in Italian). Monsummano. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
20. De Maio, Raffaele (24 November 2014). "Supermario si scopre un amatore Uisp con gli Augies" [Mario Boni discovers the amateur UISP with Augies]. Il Tirreno (in Italian). Montecatini. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
21. "Boni campione mondiale con la Nazionale Over 50" [Boni world champion with the Over 50 national team]. La Nazione (in Italian). Montecatini. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2015.

External links

• Italian LBA League Profile Retrieved 16 June 2015 (in Italian)
• Spanish ACB League Profile Retrieved 16 June 2015 (in Spanish)

• 1963 births
• Living people
• Aris B.C. players
• Cantabria Baloncesto players
• Italian expatriate basketball people in Greece
• Italian expatriate basketball people in Spain
• Italian expatriate basketball people in the United States
• Italian men's basketball players
• Lega Basket Serie A players
• Liga ACB players
• Montecatiniterme Basketball players
• Virtus Roma players
• People from Codogno
• Roseto Sharks players
• Shooting guards
• Sportspeople from the Province of Lodi
• Teramo Basket players
• United States Basketball League players
• Virtus Bologna players
• Yakima Sun Kings players
• 20th-century Italian sportsmen