On the last day of the regular league, before his public but not on his usual court, but in the Pabellón de la Tejerona, Corinth Gijon Basket certified their permanence for one more year in the EBA A League. It has not been easy, because a disastrous league start in which their first six games counted for defeats, was joined by a diabolical system of competition with which they have lost category 7 of all 16 teams. We talked about all of this Vicente Alvarez (Mieres, 1986)who took charge of the team on matchday six and has finally achieved the goal set.
Basketball Zone – Congratulations on your salvation, Vicente. How do you feel: happy, relieved…?
Vicente Álvarez – There is no single word that can describe the feeling after the victory. The happiness and satisfaction of having been able to help Corinto Gijón Basket achieve the goal of permanence. But I am also very grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity and to all the people who have helped me from minute one giving everything: fans, board of directors, collaborators, players, Diego Sánchez, Edu Alonso and, of course, my friend, partner and assistant Javier Hernandez Elizo. Thanks to the work and responsible effort of each one of them, we achieved it.
ZdB – What would it have meant for Gijón Basket to lose the category?
VÁ – I imagine that the blow would have been very hard after a very complicated season. Corinto Gijón Basket is already a benchmark in the category and it would be a “restart from 0”, so I think it would have been an important step backwards. I have been there for 6 months but behind this club there is a lot of work from years ago by many other people, players and coaches with promotion to the EBA League, extraordinary seasons in this competition and even playing the Promotion Phase to LEB Plata. There are times when there are unfair situations in sports and I think relegation would have been one of them for all that Gijón Basket entails and its short but magnificent history based on sporting merits.
ZdB – Seven relegations, if not prevented by a promotion to LEB Plata from this conference. What assessment do you make of this situation?
VÁ – Well, it’s a delicate subject, to put it in the smoothest way possible. I think, like many people, that the number of declines this season is an exaggeration. Historic teams from the EBA League have relegated, such as Betanzos, UVa, CB La Flecha or Culleredo that have players on their squads top of the category. That speaks to the difficulty of saving this season, but I also accepted the club’s proposal knowing that this was the case, so we were aware of it.
ZdB – It is very surprising that a team that fights for permanence until the last day, finishes eighth classified.
VÁ – I think that here it is shown how hard the competition has been and that the level of demand has been maximum due to how closely relegation has always been stalking many teams.
ZdB – Do you think it is necessary to reduce the number of teams? Is a League of 14 preferable to 16?
VÁ – I couldn’t tell you which is better. I remember as a player how difficult it was to be promoted to the EBA League years ago, having to enter a regional Final Four, go through an Asturian-Cantabrian phase and then another Final Four to determine the team that was promoted. Now it is “easy” to descend with this competition system, but with the experience of this year, the format should be reviewed and how many teams and how should be assessed.
ZdB – When you take charge of the team in a very difficult situation, I imagine that you already assumed that it was most likely to reach an end like this, heads or tails.
VÁ – Linking up with the relegation issue, it was clear that we were not going to be saved with 3-4 days remaining. When we arrived we had several teams that had fallen 3 and 4 wins higher, in the first training session Benji broke down and in the second 15 of the first match Michu, so the road was not easy. In the second round we made things very difficult for Tormes, Reino de León and Obradoiro without our greatest offensive reference, which is Fernando, who missed 9 games, and even Charly also against Tormes. But we would have signed in October to reach the last day depending on us and at home.
ZdB – Since your arrival, 14 wins, only surpassed by the teams that have finished in the top five, and with a second round that is difficult to improve. What a change…
VÁ – The players from day one have grasped the idea of the game that began by taking a step forward in defense. And in the end we ended up being the 4th best defense in the championship, which has allowed us to perform at a good level. As I have told you, this second round has been very good, competing in all the matches except for ULe, which passed us by. We would have liked to get a few more wins but the truth is that Fer’s injury weighed us down a lot. Even so, hats off to the players because they took a very important step forward at that time.
ZdB – What was the most complicated moment when you saw things in the face of permanence, that you thought “ufff, I don’t know if it will give us time”? Or asked the other way around, when did you say “this is on the way to salvation, we are going to achieve it”?
VÁ – The “fear” of relegation has always been there because of the competitiveness of the league. You only have to look at the final sprint that Bosco has made, winning the last 6 games in a row on the Tormes and León courts, and even so they have been relegated. Like all sports, the results encourage or discourage but the daily work of the boys always made us think that we could achieve it. Really for me, there is a key game in Chantada, as we served in an incredible way, coming from 17 points in the second half and leaving Chantada with 2 points in the fourth quarter. But in general, in each training session, the work and the faces of the players said that we were going to get this.
ZdB – To what extent have the additions, such as Tsimidis or Alberto Alemán, transformed the team?
VÁ – Mainly they have given us a balance that we did not have before. Tsimidis was the center that we all longed for since the beginning of the season and who gave us the game in the low post that we did not have, giving us more alternatives to play and being able to take more comfortable shots for outside people. For his part, Alberto gave us security, offensive threat and fresh air since we had Charly in the position of one when I think it is not the ideal situation for him, thus wasting many of his offensive qualities. Also Iago’s recovery after a long and important injury gave us freshness.
ZdB – Your renewal for another year has already been announced, but I guess now it’s time for a well-deserved “disconnection” and to start planning a new season with the eternal Diego Sánchez.
VÁ – Well, working with Diego is a privilege that I have been lucky enough to be able to experience and will continue to do. What he does on and off the track is invaluable, he has helped me and I have learned a lot from him on both sides. Now we are going to plan the squad for next season. It’s time to leave the next season planned as soon as possible and thus be able to enjoy a good summer with my family to arrive at the beginning of the next one with the batteries charged.
ZdB – Thank you very much for your time, Vicente.
VÁ – Thank you very much for everything and congratulations for the great work you do.
