By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The Basketball Champions League Final Four in Belgrade ended up with a result that in Final Fours is not a given: the favorite prevailed.
Unicaja Malaga was considered for a long time the team to beat, even against Lenovo Tenerife, a bonified Basketball Champions League dynasty. And after last year’s disappointment, when they couldn’t even play in the final, despite hosting the Final Four, the Spanish team won the trophy, their first since the 2017 EuroCup and their sixth in total.
It was a seal of excellence that the unit of coach Ibon Navarro needed since they had left their mark already, after winning last season’s Copa Del Rey, but failing to get the trophy on a continental level.
Simply put, since 2022 when Navarro joined the club and brought in the Final Four MVP Kendrick Perry, Tyler Kalinoski, Dulan Osetkowski, David Kravish and Tyson Carter, an admirable core was created that can compete with the best in Europe.
It’s not a coincidence that Unicaja is currently on top of the Spanish Liga Endesa standings, having the tie-breaker against Real Madrid.
And that’s the next huge step that the BCL champions are challenged to take.
They represented with pride the biggest domestic league in Europe, which after all had three Spanish teams in the BCL Final Four.
Can they shock the basketball world by beating Real Madrid in the Liga Endesa and getting the Spanish ACB title? That’s one thing to monitor in the next few months.