A former two-time continental finalist, Pepsi Caserta now makes its return to European competitions for the first time since 1993. Caserta comes off its best season in almost two decades as it finished second in the Italian League regular season and was one win away from reaching the title series before going out in the semifinals. Founded in 1951 as SC Juventus Caserta, the club reached the Italian second division in 1975. Caserta made Bogdan Tanjevic its head coach and landed legendary scorer Oscar Schmidt and the team made it to the 1983 Italian League playoffs, earning the right to play the 1983-84 Korac Cup. The then-called Indesit Caserta made it to the 1984 Italian Cup final with Oscar, Marcel de Souza and a young Nando Gentile. From then on, Caserta became a big force in Italy and Europe. With Oscar filling the baskets and going beyond the 40-mark on regular basis, Mobilgirgi Caserta reached the 1986 Saporta Cup final, losing in a two-game series against Virtus Roma, and went all the way to the Italian League title series against Milano. Vicenzo Esposito and Georgi Glouchkov joined the team for the 1986-87 season, in which Caserta made it to the Korac Cup semifinals and the Italian League finals, losing against Barcelona and Milano, respectively. Caserta's effort paid off in 1988, as it lifted the Italian Cup trophy with Snaidero as its main sponsor. Oscar had 31 points to lead Caserta to a 113-103 win against Varese. Caserta made it to the Saporta Cup final in 1989. In one of the best games ever played in European competitions, Real Madrid beat Caserta 117-113 in overtime behind 62 points from Drazen Petrovic. Oscar had 44 points for Casera and Gentile added 35, but it was not enough. Oscar left Caserta soon after that, but Gentile, Esposito, Tellis Frank and Charles Shackleford helped the club win its only Italian League title in 1991, downing Milano 2-3 in the finals. Caserta made it to the Korac Cup Quarterfinals in 1991 and 1993, but soon faded away. It went down to the Italian second division in 1994 and folded in 1998. As Juvecaserta Basketball, the club came back from its ashes in 2003 and the net year it bought the rights to play in the Italian second division for the 2004-05 season. It needed four years to return to the Italian elite and in 2008 it accomplished that feat after downing Jesi in the playoffs with Randolph Childress and Guillermo Diaz as its main stars. After finishing 13th in 2008-09, Caserta comes off a return-to-form season, as Ere, Jones, Di Bella and Michelori have taken the club back where it was 20 years ago. Caserta earned the right to be in the Eurocup and is set to try to get back to its glory days as a tough team in European competition that fights for every title.