What did that 1996 Catalan League give Valvi?
Mostly it gave credibility to a project that was just beginning. I remember that in the team there was Pep Cargol, Corchiani himself, who was a highly valued base in Europe … It was a situation quite similar to the current one, with Bàsquet Girona able to win the title against an ex- ACB like Lleida, well consolidated, in addition, in the LEB Or. This Catalan League gives impetus to the project led by Marc Gasol, which has more and more people behind it. I’ve been a partner since the first year and I don’t know how many there are now, but the progression must have been growing.
What do you know about Corchiani?
He is in North Carolina. We follow him on Instagram, he’s a businessman who opened a restaurant on the North Carolina State campus. He is still linked to the university but from outside. It was key that day in Manresa. He gave us a lot, not only with that basket that was worth a title, but all year round, because it was a pure base that he organized on the track. From Quim Costa that Valvi did not have a reference with that domain in the base position. He carried the ball and you knew we wouldn’t do beasts. He was a good shooter and very good tio. There were three Americans on the team, him, Middleton and Pelle, and each had their specialty. Then you could have players from the country. That team worked well because we were 5 or 6 players from the country and that makes it easier for there to be chemistry in the locker room. With good judgment, Bàsquet Girona has made a team this year they also know very well what they wanted, with young players from here, and an excellent relationship with ACB clubs to reach agreements for transfers.
Skin had a boa?
(Laughs) Yes, he had a snake. He took her a couple of times to the locker room. In the end we told him not to do it anymore …
What can Saturday’s title give Girona?
The first, a certain status. So far Marc Gasol’s project has been growing slowly. A title like this makes the basketball world say “alert, these are already here!”. That this is serious, go. Everyone says that Girona has made a good team, probably one of the youngest in the category, and they look good, they look nice. Now, this season there is only one promotion to ACB and the clear favorites are from other clubs like Breogan, Palencia or A Coruña. Girona must consolidate in LEB Or, without giving up anything, of course, because it has quality and talent. But the money that has been spent on other clubs like the ones I said makes them favorites to fight to get up.
Girona is a benchmark in women’s basketball thanks to Uni. Do the 20 years at the ACB still make it a respected place in men’s basketball?
Girona has an indisputable pedigree. One example is Fontajau. There are few pavilions like this one in LEB Or, maybe only those of exACB and A Coruña teams. Fontajau also dresses. The three players I represent who have signed for Girona (Dani Garcia, Aleix Font and Pep Busquets) when they came to the presentation freaked out with Fontajau. They know that they are in a place that has already been ACB basketball, and that top international players have retired here. At the time of Valvi, everyone knew that when you came to Girona you were probably charged because there was a patron named Joaquim Vidal. It is similar now. It is known that Bàsquet Girona is a serious club where it is paid daily. When a player has to choose between Girona and another destination, he will come here for that, and for the organizational structure that they have set up … and that makes them go ahead of ACB clubs.
Is there a risk that Gasol will repeat the same mistakes as Akasvayu or San Jose?
No. Impossible. Mainly because they are their limes. I think people are excited about the club and the project but Marc can’t be left alone. Companies have to come in to collaborate, and I know that this is being done and done well, involving people from Girona and young people, who are more eager to work than to go out to the newspapers.
Is it sustainable in Girona to have elite football and first-class women’s and men’s basketball?
Elite sport is impossible to be sustainable. For years, Bàsquet Girona has been walking around the schools talking about the values of sport and doing it in English to make children and young people aware of the importance of the language. What value does this have economically? This is where institutions need to create exchanges of values, not give money because they do. Marc is doing very well. Whether it is sustainable or not will be seen in the end. To begin with, betting on Catalan players who want to vindicate themselves is a good decision.
What was the most valued title of that Valvi?
The Korac semifinals were the second step. It was that the Catalan league was not a coincidence. At that time Spanish basketball was at a level like what is being experienced now in ACB, which Tenerife or Burgos in the past are able to win the third European competition. Limoges had a team coached by Dusko, top-notch people from France and two Americans top. The most beautiful thing was the trip. It is not the destination, but the journey. Rimini, Imola and Rome was to win and not lose, for something beautiful. Those years are the most beautiful. The first two years sportingly were beautiful. Seeing Gasol, Sada, San Emeterio was very nice, but it had an unhappy ending.
What will the club find in the LEB Gold?
The coronavirus now marks everything, it is a bitch because it generates a situation of great uncertainty. If it happens at the ACB that a match has to be canceled the day before, imagine what can happen to LEB Gold or LEB Silver. I know that PCRs are done in Girona but you don’t know if the rival is too. There is no protocol from the Federation, which has left it in the hands of regional governments and clubs. Beyond this uncertainty will be a nice league, which due to the crisis and budget cuts has many Spanish players, young, some from LEB Plata, and with few American players. It will be a competitive league where everyone can win.
Do you see Girona again in the ACB?
It is very difficult for me to decide between medium, long or short term, but yes, I see it in the ACB. Girona has everything to play in the ACB again. Now the promotions are real, we have a pavilion ready and also the club has a patron who if you have to put a canon, will put it. But I repeat, you can’t leave him alone. Marc needs the help of companies, institutions and the fans.
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