Staff Black Panthers Cup
The Easter tournament confirms its place as a key date for youth basketball on Lake Como. The technical and organisational partnership with Basket Costa has been renewed. From this year the event will be named “Memorial Stefano Magni”.
Youth basketball is getting ready for an Easter weekend of sport and sharing. The Black Panthers Cup returns for its fourth edition, scheduled from 26 to 28 March 2027, and does so by strengthening its fundamental bond with Basket Costa.
The red and white club is confirmed as the tournament’s main sporting partner, renewing a partnership that goes beyond simple logistical support. Basket Costa and the Panthers Cup organisers share the same vision: to offer boys and girls an experience that combines technical quality on court with the human value of meeting people from different backgrounds.
The “Memorial Stefano Magni” is born.
The 2027 edition takes on a deep and moving meaning for the whole local basketball community. The organising committee, in agreement with the club, has decided to dedicate the tournament to the memory of Stefano Magni, a long-standing Basket Costa coach who passed away prematurely in 2024, aged just 30. Stefano was not only a skilled coach, but an example of passion and sporting education for hundreds of young athletes. Linking his name to a tournament that puts young people, fun and inclusion at its centre is the most authentic way to honour his legacy and keep his memory alive on the courts he loved so much.
The tournament: format and new categories
The event will involve the provinces of Como and Lecco, making the most of the splendid setting of Lake Como to combine competition and sports tourism. This year the tournament grows and opens up to younger players too, with the addition of two new age groups.
The categories competing in 2026 are:
- Boys: U13, U14, U15, U17, U19
- Girls: U13, U14, U15, U17, U19
- New U12: for both boys and girls
- New U10-U11: mixed category (as a single group or split, depending on the final number of entries)
The event’s international and inclusive vocation is confirmed: not just games, but moments of togetherness, team dinners and experiences in the area, true to the spirit that has made the Panthers Cup a “human-centric” event even before a sporting one.
