Another player from the Baltic in the Cimberio team: Janar Talts is signed up.

Janar Talts, the Estonian mid-court player, who was signed up by the Cimberio team, after a long courtship, landed at around midday on Tuesday 29, at Malpensa airport. Born in 1983, 2.06 m tall, Talts has come from the team of the Russian town Samara, arriving after an endless trip, with a stopover in Moscow.

This team-mate of Kristijan Kangur has signed a contract that will last until the end of the season, with an option for next season, although this does not guarantee him a place on the team. According to the regulations, since Varese have had to put Jobey Thomas on the injured list, they can now play two Americans (Goss and Slay) and four Europeans; three of these are practically indispensable (Rannikko, Stipcevic and Kangur), and therefore, the last place available will go to either Talts or Serapinas; Serapinas would strengthen the perimeter, whereas Talts would push the team forward, moving his fellow countryman Kangur more often into the small forward position.

The guides describe Talts as a dynamic and athletic mid-court player, and say he has a good long throw, which has brought him to play even in the Euroleague, wearing the jersey of the German Cologne team. He has also played in the Estonian national team (which is not one of the top teams) and in the Eurochallenge competition, in Tartu Rock, a team with which he became Estonian champion on several occasions, which he left in midseason to go to Russia. In Samara, he was not given the room to play, and achieved some rather modest results: 11 appearances, scoring just 8 points, but with an average of 3 rebounds. Apart from these figures though, his signing is interesting for the future; Varese intends to assess his game in what is left of the championship, to understand his real potential, and perhaps confirm him for next year.

His first training session with Cimberio is scheduled for Thursday, 5.30 pm, so his visit today (Wednesday) to the sports arena will only be to shake hands with Carlo Recalcati and his new team mates, before heading for the usual physical examination.