It seemed like an eternity, but it was barely 95 days ago that Jasikevicius’ Barça stunned Real Madrid in the Liga Endesa final to reclaim the throne. It has been three months of pure frenzy, with the World Cup in the middle and the restructuring of many squads. Starting with the champion. From that magical night at the WiZink, neither the coach nor the two players who lifted the trophy remain: Mirotic and Higgins. But he was not the only one. At Básquet Girona, for example, there are nine new faces, including that of the coach. A dynamic that has escaped the main challenger to the champion, Real Madrid, which has bet on the continuity of the European champion squad with the fearsome Campazzo cherry on top. As for the four Catalan teams that remain in the Endesa League this season, these have been the main novelties.
The brilliant triumph in the final round of the Endesa League did not prevent a small revolution at the Palau. The reduction of a quarter of the budget imposed by Laporta forced the basketball leadership to make a coup that started from the bench. To the surprising farewell of Sarunas Jasikevicius was added the bet for Roger Grimau, a coach of the house with a very powerful emotional factor in his favor: he was the captain of the last Euroleague won by the club. Added to this change was an undisguised commitment to state basketball with the arrivals of Brizuela, Parra and Willy Hernangómez, one of the key cards of the season. Like that of Jabari Parker, a number two draft pick with injury problems.
La Penya starts the school year with a tight budget, but with high expectations. This is due to having completed a great season. Semi-finalist in the three major competitions he contested (League, Cup and Eurocup), Carles Duran’s team will not demand heaven, but he will continue to fight for everything, as has become the norm since the arrival of the technician Joventut will have to reinvent itself again, as it will have to deal with the departures of Kyle Guy and Joel Parra, two of the mainstays of the team. On paper, he has done his homework very well by signing Deshaun Thomas, Andrew Andrews and Chinano Onuaku, three players who should help grow the team. And we must not forget Jordi Fernández, world champion under 19 and who must gain prominence.
While in the offices Albert Cots continues to wait to find a replacement to be established in the president’s chair, on the parquet the Bages team has experienced one of the quietest summers that can be remembered. Only three new faces (Williams, Taylor and the temporary Zohore) so that the coach, Pedro Martínez, can give some continuity to the team. Without the physical and mental burden of playing in Europe, permanence must be one step closer for the eternal Manresa.
The second consecutive season in the elite for the Girona players presents itself as quite a challenge. With the president, Marc Gasol, still plucking the daisy from retirement, there have been eight changes in the staff and there will be a new conductor: Salva Camps, assistant to Pedro Martínez last year in Manresa. Of the new faces, two from the; Sergi Martínez and Juani Marcos, one of the promises of the Blaugrana squad.
