By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The season of the Basketball Champions League starts tomorrow with 32 teams representing 16 countries, however, there’s one contender that stands above everyone else.
Unicaja Malaga has created something big, that’s already been rewarded with the Basketball Champions League trophy and also the Intercontinental Cup and also the Spanish Copa Del Rey, and most recently the Supercopa.
It’s well documented that the BCL has presented a solid alternative for teams that don’t intend to be part of the EuroLeague ecosystem for a variety of reasons, mainly financial. However, in the past, some teams that made headlines in the Basketball Champions League decided to leave the competition.
The notable exception for years remained La Laguna Tenerife, but Unicaja Malaga is taking the mantle presenting an even more interesting project.
While Tenerife has won twice the BCL and three times the Intercontinental Cup, they never managed to translate this success into domestic league titles.
The situation with Unicaja Malaga, a club that in the past was one of the pillars of the EuroLeague, proved to be quite different.
Ibon Navarro’s unit is widely considered one of the best teams in Europe, capable of challenging anyone, and a bonified championship contender in Spain.
You can argue that this is the first time that a BCL team has this kind of prestige and a project that can last for years, being not just a stepping stone in a player’s career but also one of the top destinations in Europe, while coach Navarro is respected among his peers on every level.
This kind of success is also reflected in the Basketball Champions League. As the 9th season of the competition starts, the defending champions are challenging their local league EuroLeague powerhouses like Real Madrid and Barcelona, giving every fan at least one reason to tune in to their continental competition.
It’s a win-win situation for both sides, that once more proves the value of both projects.