Aito Garcia Reneses is the coach that Marc Gasol has chosen to lead the Basketball Girona in his debut at the ACB. Nothing has been signed yet, but it is also true that it is taken for granted that there will be no setbacks and that the operation will close this week. Finding who will lead the bench is, for now, the priority for the club because the rest of the planning for a very demanding season depends on it. Initially, Gasol had thought about Peter Martinez, but the former Akasvayu coach rejected the idea and has chosen to continue in Manresa. Discarded Martinez, the number 1 candidate became Aito, one veteran of the benches (will turn 76 in December) still at the foot of the canyon.
The Madrid man led Joventut in 2008, when he was Akasvayu’s last rival in the quarter-finals of the play-offs
Since the end of last year, García Reneses has been working at the Joventut, where he returned to direct the technical training of the young talents of Badalona. His last professional project was the Dawn of Berlin, a club he coached between 2017 and 2021, whom he led to the Euroleague and with whom he won two German league titles. Prior to this overseas adventure, Aito had done almost everything at the ACB. His career began in 1983 at Youth and had since passed through the benches of Barça (14 seasons), Unibox, Cajasol i Gran Canaria, apart from a second stage at the Peña. Aíto had decided to take last season as a sabbatical to decide if he would retire permanently, but once he knew Girona’s project, he would be excited to extend his career and return to work in the Endesa league.
The ACB has directed 1,077 games in 28 seasons. 738 ended in victory, the rest, 339, in defeat. He is the fourth coach with more titles in this competition in the list (9), after Díaz Miguel, Lolo Sainz and Pedro Ferrándiz. In his career he was too Spanish coach and here is the silver medal he won at the 2008 Beijing Games in a historic final against the US Dream Team, with Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony i LeBron James, among other stars (118-107). Marc Gasol led that team and has had a great memory ever since. The now pivot and president, in August 2008, was preparing to make his NBA debut with the Grizzlies after closing a two-year stint in Girona. He was then 23 years old, and in that final he contributed 11 points and 5 rebounds.
The coach led Marc Gasol to the silver Spanish national team at the 2008 Beijing Games in the final against the USA
Akasvayu’s last rival
As a curiosity, Aíto, who has all the numbers to be the coach of Girona in the return to the ACB, was the last rival of the old Akasvayu project in the highest category. The veteran coach led the youth team that eliminated Girona in the 2007/08 play-offs in the third game. Akasvayu, on the other hand, was coached by Pedro Martínez, who has also taken a prominent place on Marc Gasol’s agenda when it comes to finding a replacement for Jordi Sargatal.
Aíto has known first hand the project that the pivot and president wants to build in Fontajau. It’s not one question of money and understanding is on track. From here you can start building the team. Marc Gasol will be there. Also Fjllerup and Èric Vila, and from there, it will be up to the coach to decide. We want to do a competitive project, and one of the most historic and prestigious coaches in the competition will be put behind the wheel.
