• LUCAS SAEZ-BRAVO

    @LucasSaezBravo

    Madrid

Updated Thursday, June 16, 2022-14:47

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  • Interview Marc Gasol

A world champion, one of the great promises of the national quarry and a historic man who seeks to escape from a well.

The morning is quiet in the Antonio Magariños pavilion, where silence and darkness reign before the Movistar Estudiantes training session.

His first season away from the highest category of Spanish basketball has been marked by expectations.

"It has to go up yes or yes, yes or yes, yes or yes. We said it too much, we put a lot of pressure",

Javier Beirán

(Madrid, 1987) is sincere, who, after a lifetime at ACB, returned to the club in which was formed to attempt the ascent.

But in the Estu, pawned in recent times in the entanglements, which descended sportingly on two occasions until the dispatches confirmed it last summer, nothing is easy.

"The LEB Oro has surprised us. Expectations were high at the beginning, it seemed that everything was going to be very easy, but the reality is different", confirms

Rubén Domínguez

(Cádiz, 2003), a pearl of almost two meters who is the flag of that quarry that has nurtured the Spanish baskets for decades.

After an exciting start, problems soon came, the change of coach... and Granada stole the direct ticket to the Endesa League.

Now, after eliminating Valladolid in the quarterfinals, they will have to fight for the other place in a diabolical Final Four next Saturday, June 18.

And there will be Marc Gasol

's Girona

, which acts as a local in Fontajau.

And in the semifinals, Palencia, who "has won us both games."

Because the Estu will be favorite again, by name, by template, by budget, by history.

Two games away from returning to where he spent the 64 years of his existence.

But he will not only play on the court.

"Logically there was and we have to go up yes or yes. But perhaps that pressure has taken its toll on us. But it is what we want: I have come for that, Rubén has stayed for that...", admits Beiran, world gold with Spain in China not even three years ago.

"There are more traps"

With his return, with references such as

Edwin Jackson or Darel Poirier

(both were injured early for the entire season), with the always promising youth squad and with

Jota Cuspinera

at the controls, the Ramiro team, tightening the economic belt after relegation, put together a team made to destroy.

“But the category is very tough, very different from the ACB. And we have been the rival to beat. they are excuses, you have to get used to that. And then have the character. The teams in the lower-middle part have surprised us more," Beiran recounts the experience and Rubén confirms his words: "You can see that cheating and playing to failure The little I have lived in the ACB, you cannot give good players even this much space, because they are not going to fail. With Epi we are going more to how it is played in LEB".

ANGEL NAVARRETE

Because a few weeks ago

Diego Epifanio

arrived , an expert in promotions (he has climbed Burgos and Breogán in recent years).

And with him, the Estu will face a vital Rubicon in a weekend for an entity that has tried to maintain its identity.

Question.-

Have you noticed the support of the people?

Javier Beiran.-

The last game I was with millions of children.

Hopefully we are only this year in LEB, but I am sure that they are going to follow Estu.

Many do not even know the category and they like it just the same.

We have a support that we feel.

That 7,000-8,000 people go to see us against teams that they had never heard of in their lives, is appreciated.

Rubén Domínguez.-

It is a year of reflection, of returning to what belongs to us.

We have illusion.

With this step back, we want a base to be formed for the coming years, so that there are no more comings and goings.

Q.

- Did it seem that the quarry was going to have more prominence?

JB-

It wasn't as idyllic as we thought.

Here it is not to see what happens.

And we have no room for error, neither the young people nor me.

People can say, get the kids out.

But it is not easy.

It is even unfair to them.

Q.-

Is Joventut the mirror?

JB-

Hopefully, because they are financially solid.

It's nice to see a Spanish coach with many Spaniards, with weight, with importance.

That line is key: players who come back and kids with enthusiasm.

We need financial solvency.

We already have the fans.

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