Por Alex Molina / info@eurohoops.net
One of the main changes for Barça 2024-25 is on the bench. Joan Peñarroya took over from Roger Grimau, so all eyes in Palau will be on him and the Terrassa coach is more than ready for the challenge.
Barcelona is a club that no matter what needs to win trophies and everything less is not good enough. And despite the high competition level in the EuroLeague this season, things haven’t changed for the club.
Speaking to Eurohoops, the Catalan coach reviewed the club’s objectives, the added difficulties of the season, and how he would manage internal tension with a player, considering what happened with Grimau and Willy Hernangomez in the recent past.
EH: The team did not win the Endesa Super Cup, they fell in the semi-finals against Real Madrid. But are you happy with what you saw in Murcia?
JP: I’m not happy with the result. I think that, obviously, the team is going to give much more of itself. But I’m happy with the things we saw in that game. We had the ability, something very important and which I think is good to nurture, to go behind on the scoreboard and not get discouraged, to keep believing to get to the end with 50 seconds left with the score tied, a rebound that got away from us… Two plays in which they were more accurate than us. Seeing that we have a team to compete against anyone.
EH: In the end, Unicaja won the title. Was it a surprise?
JP: Now it’s opportunistic, but for me, Unicaja was the favorite for a very simple reason. Same team as last year, in the final, there was only Tillie as a signing. A very tough team, which has been training for two or three weeks before Madrid or us because they prepared for the Intercontinental, so there is an important advantage acquired. Unicaja is going to be a rival to beat in the domestic competition without any doubt, just as I am convinced that Valencia is going to be a very tough team because they have great squads, and great coaches and not playing in the Euroleague is going to give them an advantage to be more focused on the Endesa League.
EH: You just mentioned two teams that look like they will be strong in the national league. Do you think that the middle class, so to speak, is rising in the Endesa League?
JP: Without a doubt. I think that our competition, like the Euroleague, are two competitions that this year are going to have an even better level. Today, you can think that more or less 8 teams can aspire to the playoffs but there are surely 12/13 that will fight to be in that playoff.
EH: Even though there are many candidates and more and more, Barça is still one of the candidates, with the “obligation” to win it. You have touched continental glory twice, it is not your debut in the Euroleague but it is perhaps the first time that you are in charge of a bench whose aspiration is to win the Euroleague. How do you feel that pressure?
JP: When I signed for Barça I knew where I came from. I know what the needs and reality of a club like this are: fighting for all the titles it plays for. But we are in September, I would be wrong to think that we have to win x title in February, May, or June. Time to build, we have very good players. We have to build a team, some players who have not played in Europe adapt as soon as possible to this new scenario, a new coach with a more or less similar philosophy but with different things to what the 5 new ones and those who were already here have had. Time to build with the conviction that if we do things well and have that capacity to grow the team will fight for titles.
EH: In addition to the pressure of a bench like Barça, does the fact of arriving after a turbulent season put more pressure on you on a personal level?
JP: No, because if Sunday’s game, as they say, is already history, imagine last season. Focused on what is happening now, the current team wants to be at the Palau with these people and with the maximum ambition that the players are transmitting to do great things.
EH: Recently there was controversy with some words from Pablo Laso evaluating the episode between Roger Grimau and Willy Hernangómez. How would Joan Peñarroya deal with such an episode?
JP: The episode, more or less real, whatever it is, is a situation between a coach and a player like there are a thousand situations. From there, the only thing I can say is that I have been working with Willy for 4 or 5 weeks and his behavior, his behavior, his dedication, his enthusiasm for the project have been fantastic. From here on, the rest is not very important to me.