Marc Gasol, Aíto and the ‘miracle’ of Basketball Girona

With a tight budget, the team from Girona certified this Saturday their permanence in the Endesa League

Marc Gasol reappeared with 11 points and was key under the orders of veteran Aíto… the party in Fontajau will be total

Basketball Girona culminated a magical season on Saturday in which he has broken the forecasts certifying salvation in the Endesa League with one game to go as he did at the end of last spring with the promotion from LEB Oro when he had finished fourth in the regular season and was not a favourite.

Much of the blame when it comes to multiplying the loaves and fishes lies with Marc Gasol. The NBA champion took the first step towards glory when he decided in 2014 return elite basketball to the banks of the Onyar just over a year after the disappearance of CB Sant Josep in which the Catalan had played between 2006 and 2008 under the name of Akasvayu.

After several years in promotion categories, Bàsquet Girona made the leap to the EBA League in 2017 under the command of former Azulgrana Quim Costa, promoted to LEB Plata helped by the expansion of teams and in the 2021-22 campaign he debuted in the LEB Oro. However, the real bomb came a few months later.

NBA champion in 2019 with the Raptors, the founder and owner of the club Marc Gasol announced on November 25, 2021 that he would not continue in the United States (he played the 2020-21 season with the Lakers) and that he would enroll in his own project as a player after several weeks training with the team and ruling out rumors about the interest of Barça or some NBA franchises .

Without rushing or stratospheric signings, Basketball Girona grew throughout the season under Jordi Sargatal with the Gasol median as a benchmark and finished fourth in the regular phase with Covirán Granada as champion and holder of the direct promotion ticket.

The Catalans beat Leyma Coruña in the quarterfinals (3-0) and gave the big bell in the Final Four as host in Fontajau, beating ICG Força Lleida in the semifinals (68-77) and the great favorite Movistar Estudiantes 60-66 with 11 points, eight rebounds, four steals and a +26 PIR from Marc Gasol.

That somewhat unexpected promotion did not make the club lose its calm, what opted for the seniority of the emblematic Aíto García Reneses (75 years old at the time) and for a sustainable project with the American guard Kameron Taylor, the veteran Andorran point guard Quino Colom and Gasol himself as references and with three other ex-Blaugrana players such as Pol Figueras, Eric Vila and Jaume Sorolla.

Not even the four defeats in the first four games nor seeing himself with a 2-9 after the first 11 days was a trauma for a team that has been growing under the wise guidance of Aíto and that did not throw the house out of the window in the changes either. Josep Franch, Pierre Oriola (from October to February with hardly any prominence due to physical issues) and Bursac (one month at the beginning of the course) left to make room for Jeremiah Hill and John Jenkins.

SEEEEEEEE PERMANÈNCIAAAAA ???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/pnewWbb5iZ

— Basketball Girona (@BasquetGirona) May 13, 2023

With these premises, Básquet Girona secured their stay on Saturday with an epic victory on the track of Casademont Zaragoza after two overtimes (88-95) after Sorolla scored 82-84 two seconds from the end in the first overtime and the locals tied with two free throws after a foul on the buzzer. In addition, Marc Gasol returned with 11 points to help the goal after not playing the previous day.

Although there is no official communication about it, It would not be surprising if Marc Gasol announces his retirement as a player shortly after a second phase of the season in which he has suffered several physical problems. For this reason, the last day of the regular season against Cazoo Baskonia has to be a total party in Fontajau. The team and the coaching staff deserve it and the fans are wise and faithful.