GironaFew people were more happy with the rise of Girona Basketball than Albert Sàbat (Llagostera, 1985), a player who has provided the necessary experience to a fascinating project that in five years has gone from the EBA League, the fourth category of the state basketball, in the Endesa League. The captain of the team, who has always been the banner of his modesty, represents better than anyone the values of a club sprinkled with the personality of Marc Gasol, who is unlike any other.
Albert, what feelings go through your mind after the ascent?
– The sensations are proud to be part of this historic milestone, even more so being from Girona and the captain of this extraordinary team. I can’t be more proud of what happened on Sunday. When I lifted the trophy it was a moment of ecstasy. The players were cheering me on and jumping out at me because I had nothing in mind.
You joined the team when you were still in LEB Silver.
– The project has grown a lot in a short time. Ever since Marc Gasol started it, everyone was hoping that in the end this would be achieved, but no one expected it to be so fast. With his arrival as a player is when people started thinking it was possible. But everything has gone faster than we had dreamed.
He made his debut with Casademont Girona 20 years ago at the ACB. I was just 17 years old …
– Many memories come to mind when I look back. When I started, playing Fontajau one day was my dream, and I was lucky enough to achieve it. With everything that happened next, a void was created in the city and with the arrival of Marc it has just been filled. Achieving the ascent 14 years after the disappearance of the Akasvayu Girona makes us immensely happy.
Marc Gasol is a real guy.
– You don’t know enough! I highlight his commitment to the city of Girona, to the club he founded and to the people. His dedication is admirable. He has very different ideas. He spends every hour of the day thinking about what he can do to keep the club growing and succeeding, also in terms of the base. Marc keeps thinking about how we can make the club grow socially. It’s a crack.
Girona Basketball is not a club like the others. One day you are playing a game and the next you are filling garbage bags to clean up the green areas surrounding the Fontajau pavilion.
– We live it naturally because we believe in it as well as he does. Athletes can pass on very good values to society. Not only do we play basketball, we are a social speaker, an example for boys and girls. We care about a lot more than just basketball.
The parade helps to understand the dimension of what they have achieved for the city of Girona.
– Yes of course. Living something like this with the complicity of the people of Girona is very special. I’m not a big fan of football, but I went to the first leg and I’ve been following his path. I was very happy for his rise and being able to do a joint celebration makes everything even more special.
You were told that you would not become a professional basketball player.
– These are things that people said and never thought of. I just felt like I liked this sport and spent so many hours on it because it’s my passion and my job. I never thought about it, whether I would get something or not. Upon reaching the four promotions and then not continuing in the ACB, a lot of people were asking me why I kept playing. In the end I got it. I’ve never thought about the results but about the day to day, what I like to do. Rather than trying to prove things to people, I try to work for myself, to prove to myself that I can play. This is what I try to do every day. From a very young age I like to compete, improve and day to day. I don’t suffer from going to training and that’s why it hasn’t been an effort to devote so much time to it.
Give me joy. What will he do next year?
– This season I felt very comfortable bringing my grain of sand from the bench. I honestly didn’t want to think about it. We were focused on the end of the season, not knowing what category we would be in. From today, I will have to start thinking about my future. I didn’t want to decide anything early. Now is the time. As a player it’s inevitable to think about what category the team will be in, but nothing else, I don’t think that will affect my decision.
