Girona made its debut in the ACB in 1988, but could not exclaim “champions!” until eight years later, when on September 1, 1996, a quarter of a century ago today, a basketball on the horn of Chris Corchiani gave Valvi its first Catalan League. It might seem a small thing, but it was not for nothing, because that, as two of the protagonists of that historic day admit, the then coach Trifon Poch and the former player Gerard Darnés, served to change the trend and start consolidating definitely the project among the greats. Initially, the hegemony of Barça and Joventut was broken, who had shared the title in all previous editions of the tournament. And beyond that, that small club that had been saved by the hairs in a Fontajau just released in 1994 and 1995 against Huesca and Breogán celebrated a triumph, and had not avoided a drama. A real joy. And a drink. The euphoria unleashed in the stands of the Nou Congost de Manresa, with about 300 people from Girona, and continued in the morning in the old Carpes de la Devesa, when the team arrived in Girona.
It was the Valvi of Pep Cargol, Darryl Middleton, Francesc Solana, Anthony Pelle, and especially Chris Corchiani, an atypical American base, nothing to do with those electric players like Michael Anderson or André Turner, who decided the final in 23 seconds and finished the game as the top scorer, with 20 points. Poch’s team lost by one against the TDK (61-60) and Corchiani, who has experience in the NBA and also played with the TAU in the ACB) took responsibility against Chichi Creus. He ran out of time to end up looking for a penetration that put him at 61-62 with a second and four tenths to go, and the locals no longer had time for anything else. Valvi had dominated the first half, but in the second the final was difficult (57-50) until a triple by David Sala in the end put the team in the game (61-60) before Corchiani decided .
The title began to change the story of a Valvi who, until then, had had few joys. In his first year at the ACB he was relegated, although Joaquim Vidal, president and sponsor, the patron of those years, saved the ballot by buying the remaining place after the merger of Granollers and Espanyol. The inauguration of Fontajau in 1993 did not serve to dispel fright and the first two seasons in the new home the ghost of the descent flew over Girona, which remained in two agonizing play-out against Huesca and Breogan, stays held as titles for 7,500 spectators in the pavilion. In the impasse between the Valvi era and the arrival of Casademont, the first play-off was played (against Barça, in 1999) and a year later we reached the historic semifinals of Korac against Limoges. Poch directed the team until 2003. In 2005 he began another film, with the arrival of Akasvayu, an era that began with opulence and the famous signings of Raül López and Fran Vázquez, but which ended with the club loved, ruined and giving up the ACB in the summer of 2008. Along the way would be another title, the FIBA Cup, in 2007, with Svetislav Pesic as coach and Marc Gasol on the team. The Lakers pivot is now the big hope to return to the elite, with a project at the LEB Gold that aims to look up.
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