Manresa, the city that throws

Endesa ACB League

- quarterfinals - matchday 2Preview

Baxi Manresa

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real Madrid

Pedro Martínez gathers the players in the center of the field during a session last week. Massimiliano Minocri (EL PAÍS)

As soon as he leaned back in the seat of the plane, the president of Manresa, Josep Sáez, saw that his traveling companion on the airlift was more than just an acquaintance, it was Jordi Mestres, CEO of Baxi and a possible sponsor for his basketball club.

A coincidence that led to a napkin with figures.

“He spent 15 minutes thinking and then he returned it to me with studs.

There were twists and turns of the napkin until in the end we closed the agreement”, reveals Mestres.

A sponsorship sealed in 2018 and at an altitude of 8,000 meters when the team was flying low, then in the LEB Oro after descending the previous year.

The penalty lasted a year and now Baxi Manresa, a historical entity -in 1931 the Manresa Basketball Club was founded- with the city turned upside down, has forged a great season, qualified for the Cup,

, after losing the first match against Madrid.

Tonight he will have the revalidation to take the tie to the third match.

30 years ago, when cigar smoke still flooded the basketball court, it was decided to change from the Vell to the Nou Congost, a pavilion that has hung the sign saying there are no tickets because the public, devoted to the team, has not failed for a few months .

So much so that the venue has become too small and in the summer the renovation works will begin so that in two years' time it will go from 5,000 to 6,500 spectators.

“You can't ask for more from these people.

It is a grateful hobby that transmits warmth”, points out shooting guard Guillem Jou;

“You just have to see that about 5,000 went to Bilbao for the Champions League final.

Incredible!".

A noisy crowd - the song of

and Chima Moneke are the favourites- and grouped in the Grada de Animación, which has hundreds of followers, even though there is no card or membership fee, but rather survives with the sale of the lottery.

"Before, we were spread out among different supporters clubs, but when we went down to the LEB, we decided to unite all of us, do something more coordinated and join forces," says Ernest Centelles, one of the leaders of the Animation Stand.

Guillem Jou, one of the captains of Baxi Manresa.

Photo: Massimiliano MinocriMassimiliano Minocri (EL PAÍS)

In the city, which has about 78,000 inhabitants, basketball is breathed.

"The Baxi allows us to project the city and generate a feeling of belonging, in addition to an immense promotion of basketball, because there are many children who want to dedicate themselves to it," explains Toni Massegú, Manresa sports councillor.

“It is that this is a feeling that is transmitted from parents to children”, Centelles abounds while recalling Rolando Frazer, Jordi Creus, Doellman, Capdevila, Berwald, or more recent such as Nocioni, Ibaka and now Moneke… Although there are four players who have their shirts withdrawn at the top of the pavilion: Joan

Creus, Joan Peñarroya, Pep Pujolrás and Jordi Singla.

"Which indicates that we have tradition and history, milestones that few can match such as the Cup (1996) and the League (1998)", sports director Xevi Pujol is proud.

“Successes that in a mass sport are unparalleled in Spain.

Perhaps in England yes, when Leicester won the Premier a few years ago, ”concludes Joan Creus.

More than anything because the team's budget, of about two million, is one of the lowest in the category.

Figures that are reached with the subsidy from the City Council (370,000 euros), which also rents the pavilion for free from 8 in the morning to 6 in the afternoon, and the main sponsorship of Baxi (about 700,000).

"At first the agreement was closed in three years, but we have already signed for another three because it has helped us a lot to grow as a brand," concedes Mestres.

"The recipe is that the club always touches the ground with its feet and has a great human capacity," says Massegú.

"We are a small club with big hopes where we all work on the same page," adds Pujol.

“And sporting ambition”, adds Jou;

"You're not going to make a lot of money here, but if you do it right, you know you have room to grow."

That and that they live from day to day, without impossible goals.

“This year has been brutal, but next year we will have to start from scratch.

Surely, we will not be able to maintain the level, but that has never been the objective”, summarizes Pujol.

Ernest Centelles, one of the leaders of the Animation Tier.

Photo: Massimiliano MinocriMassimiliano Minocri (EL PAÍS)

"But in the

we can't limit ourselves," says Jou, even though Madrid have already won the first game.

“Having beaten them in the regular league will make them respect us more, which is not helpful.

Let's see if we can put them in a tight spot, ”says Pujol.

“We will give them war”, predicts Massegú.

"Winning two games out of three against Madrid is complicated, but this is a team that can give surprises," says Creus.

But no matter what happens, the music will continue to play in the locker room - they

to play Dj Rafa Martínez, Dani García, Yankuba, Moneke and the delegate -, coach Pedro Martínez will continue shouting

!, as an example of the intensity you want on the court and in the dressing room, before playing, the battle cry will be heard: “One, two, three, team!”.

And the city, Manresa, will enjoy it.

Transfers in the window

On any flight, in the offices or even at home, Xevi Pujol is watching games, collating data and defining the players he wants, no matter how much he

with Pedro Martínez because they don't always agree on the players as they do with the style of play .

Pujol does not stop because he does not have

, although he does have two computer programs:

, for advanced statistics related to images;

and

, platform used to filter players and make lists.

“I am interested in the player who in his team shows an attitude and mentality that can fit with ours.

People who will come hungry to work hard, try to improve and help the team”, explains Pujol;

“I pay attention to things like if they celebrate the baskets of their teammates, if they cheer or talk with the coach, or if a point guard always marks the play…”.

Xevi Pujol, sports director of Baxi Manresa.

Photo: Massimiliano MinocriMassimiliano Minocri (EL PAÍS)

But it is not easy for him to sign with the budget he has.

“You have to be creative.

We do not compete with the economy, so we sell the project and a context to improve.

We set up a house and a car and with the youngsters sometimes meals... But what we don't give is incentives for wins because that can give individualism”, he slips while also wanting to focus on the quarry;

"it is a necessity".

It happens, however, that in many cases the signing only lasts one year, pilfered by other richer and bigger clubs.

“It is the law of life.

Unfortunately, when something works it is difficult to maintain it, so we must reinvent ourselves.

But I prefer that to happen because it's a good sign."

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