San Sebastián, Spain – The Gipuzkoa Basket Club faces a pivotal seven-game stretch to close out the Liga LEB Oro regular season, with playoff positioning and the coveted advantage of home-court advantage hanging in the balance. Currently holding fifth place – which would be sixth due to Estudiantes’ Copa de España championship status – Sergio García’s squad is focused on securing a top-five finish to host a first-round playoff series.
The road to securing that home advantage won’t be easy. Gipuzkoa Basket will have limited opportunities to play in front of their home crowd at the Donostia Arena, with only two remaining regular season games scheduled in San Sebastián: against Palmer on April 19th and Menorca in the penultimate game of the season on May 3rd.
The team’s schedule is demanding, beginning this Sunday with the longest road trip of the season to Melilla. A key matchup follows on April 11th against Alicante, a team currently two games behind Gipuzkoa Basket in the standings. A win in Alicante would create separation, while a loss could see the teams draw closer in the tightly contested league table. Gipuzkoa previously defeated Alicante 77-70 in San Sebastián.
Adding to the challenge, Gipuzkoa Basket will face the two top teams in the league on the road. They travel to Coruña at the end of April and conclude the regular season on May 10th with a game against Obradoiro in Santiago. While the potential for those opponents to be playing with less intensity late in the season offers a glimmer of hope, their overall strength remains a significant hurdle.
The upcoming schedule includes Melilla and Alicante on the road, Palmer at home, followed by consecutive road games against Fibwi Palma and Coruña, a final home contest against Menorca, and the season finale against Obradoiro. The fate of Gipuzkoa Basket will be determined within these seven contests.
Oviedo Emerges as Playoff Contender
Complicating matters further, Oviedo has recently overtaken Gipuzkoa Basket in the standings. The Oviedo team, coached by Javi Rodríguez, has won six consecutive games and currently holds a strong position in the league. They defeated Gipuzkoa Basket 91-70 in a recent matchup, showcasing their current form. Key players for Oviedo include Townes and Parham, along with Lobaco, Cosialls, and Faure, who form a potent scoring core.
If the season were to end today, Gipuzkoa Basket would be the sixth seed and face Oviedo in the first round of the playoffs, with the first two games played in Oviedo. Alicante and Fuenlabrada are likewise within striking distance, trailing Gipuzkoa Basket by only one game, but both have a game in hand and, like Oviedo, are currently resting.
Gipuzkoa Basket is aiming to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since the 2007/08 season, when they hosted Rosalía de Castro, featuring future Baskonia and Barcelona star Brad Oleson. In the past five seasons, during which Gipuzkoa Basket has consistently competed in the Primera FEB, the team has reached the playoffs three times, but always without the benefit of home-court advantage.
In 2018, under coach Lolo Encinas, they defeated Coruña 3-1 in the series, propelled by a stellar performance from Justin Jaworski, before falling short in the final four against Burgos. Subsequent playoff appearances saw defeats against Tizona in a hard-fought fifth game and a decisive 3-0 loss to Estudiantes, a series that included some controversial officiating decisions.
The Liga LEB Oro is reaching its climax, and Gipuzkoa Basket’s ability to navigate this challenging schedule will determine their playoff fate. The team’s focus remains on securing a top-five finish and bringing playoff basketball back to San Sebastián with home-court advantage.
Fans can follow the team’s progress and find the latest updates on the official Liga LEB Oro website. The next confirmed checkpoint is the away game against Melilla this Sunday.
