Javi Rojas, José Julián, Pecile, Liñán, Gómez Nieto, Landa and Oriol Junyent, among others, celebrate Granada’s return to the ACB. /
Andalusian in the Endesa League
euphoria in covirán
The entertainment for the squad and the club closes a week of celebrations with the recognition of the Junta de Andalucía
The enthusiasm still lasts in the city for Granada’s return to the ACB. It is normal after eleven years in lower categories and the last promotion to the highest division took place a whopping 18 years ago. So the ‘first’ wasn’t even called Liga Endesa.
Many emblematic personalities of basketball from Granada, now also loyal fans of Covirán, have expressed their immense joy at the recent success of the CB Granada Foundation, while acknowledging the excellent work carried out by the entity chaired by Óscar Fernández-Arenas, which together to the coach Pablo Pin, monopolizes most of the congratulations. They are considered the real architects, along with Fernando Bailón, Molina and the local players who promoted such a young project from Nacional in the Veleta pavilion, where today’s physical trainer of beet juice, Sergio Sánchez, ‘el Pinzas’, played. which allowed the potion to be exchanged for the special Alhambra beer bottle from eleven o’clock on Friday night.
Liñán and Oriol Junyent
Heroes of the two previous promotions to the elite met at ‘El Caladero’ and shared their anecdotes and experiences, excited about returning to the ACB. There was the former president of CB Granada, José Julián Romero, who already supported Carlos Marsá in the feat of 2001 and experienced both the promotion against Menorca and CAI Zaragoza three years later, and who valued patience, humility and Foundation perseverance.
José Julián Romero recalled, like Sergio Valdeolmillos in IDEAL, that the effort now will be great, because it is even more difficult to stay, and that it will be necessary to be “very prepared because in ACB you lose more than in LEB”. Along with him were Antonio Gómez Nieto and Javi Rojas, the coaches of that ‘miracle team’ that rose in 2001 after being on the verge of disappearance, with a super Granada squad, including Juan Carlos Liñán from Atarf, also present, and the delegate Carlos Landa.
The gathering was completed by two distinguished names in the history of Nasrid basketball such as Andrea Pecile – who shared the direction on the court with Nacho Ordín –, and the former center Oriol Junyent. The Italian was picked up for his coaching staff by the current Covirán from Trieste, while Junyent, although he did not experience the promotions because he came later and as an emerging figure from Barcelona, took root in the city and left his mark on the club, in addition to beating the record of rebounds –the previous mark was of the legend Fernando Martín–, like Ordín, that same season of the reunion with the elite, the percentage of free throws.
Both are the ‘Granadian’ representatives along with Jeff Lamp in the historical ACB tops, the American and former NBA ring with the Lakers, as the top scorer in free throws, achieved it against Arvydas Sabonis’ Valladolid Forum at the Pisuerga Sports Center.
It is to be hoped that, in this return to the top division, Lluís Costa, Bropleh, Pere Tomàs and company will also be capable of reaching such high levels. For now, the entertainment continues, well deserved after Marc Gasol’s achievement against Estudiantes and Girona among others. Yesterday, the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, also had a detail with the Andalusian Covirán, who will accompany Betis and Unicaja at the top of the next league.
