CF Fuenlabrada was founded in 1975, when Real Valladolid had been competing in the different categories of Spanish football for 47 seasons, 14 of them in the first division. The Madrid team spent a decade trying to ascend to the national category, until in the 1985-86 campaign they achieved promotion to the third division, seven years later making the jump to second B, and twenty-five later! reach the silver category, in which it is currently.
Although the Blanquivioleta subsidiary was measured in 1994-95, never until this season did Pucela and Fuenla compete on a football pitch, although both towns had held sporting duels on basketball courts. In the 1996-97 season they measured their strength on no less than five occasions!, playing in the ACB League.
The Philatelic Forum, denomination with which Valladolid CB competed, was a settled and respected group in the highest category of national basketball, while CB Fuenlabrada debuted that campaign in the elite of the sport of the basket, facing for the first time the Valladolid on Sunday, December 8, 1996, at the Pisuerga sports center in the Castilian capital.
The two teams arrived in trouble for that day of the League, especially the Fórum which, with a lower than expected performance, had dismissed the initial coach of the season, Wayne Brabender, and also his replacement, Chechu Mulero, because he did not managed to straighten the course of the team.
The directors thought of resorting to Mario Pesquera, but he declined the offer because his business in Madrid required his attention and presence, so the next option they considered was Paco García, a young coach from Valladolid who was then managing Archena de la EBA League with many options to make the leap to the ranks of Murcia, who also seemed determined to change coach.
Paco, however, was clear that faced with the dilemma of choosing, his predilection was to accept the Forum’s offer, so he packed his bags and undertook a trip to Medina del Campo! December 6, reach the capital. The next day, he was able to be presented and carry out the first training session to meet his new pupils, officially debuting on the local bench as Mulero’s assistant, since the processing of his file had arrived after the Federation’s deadline.
Despite all these difficulties, the debut of the new coach had a very lucky sign, as the Forum was reunited with victory after almost two months of defeats that led him to be bottom of the ACB. His victory, moreover, was achieved against a direct rival in the fight for permanence, a Fuenlabrada who was paying for his inexperience in the highest category of Spanish basketball.
The game was balanced in the first half, which ended with a tight 42-39 local advantage, but the zonal defense ordered by Paco García in the second half was providential, as it stopped the scoring ability of the people from Madrid and gave the locals the confidence necessary to certify their victory by a comfortable 79-62, with the following protagonists from the Valladolid team: White (19), Hansen (11), Sergio Luyk (3), Mario García (2), Alex Rodriguez (6) , David Brabender (11), Jerome Lane (8), Dyron Nix (19), not playing a single minute due to injury, captain Lalo García, although he was on the bench to encourage his teammates.
That victory was the beginning of the recovery of the Forum and also the first of the five obtained by the Valladolid team against Fuenlabrada that season, as they also won at the Madrid stadium in the regular phase (86-93), and in the three games of the play-offs of the tie for permanence, which faced both teams.
The Forum won (85-77) and (82-70) in the first two, played at the “Pisuerga” Sports Center, and also in the third, already on the Madrid court, by (102-105), which sentenced relegation del Fuenla and ensured the permanence of the Forum one more year among the greats.
The main architect of that feat, Paco García, seemed to have won the prize for continuity, but the managers had other plans and chose another coach from Valladolid to take charge of the team, Gustavo Aranzana, who after nine seasons at Elosúa León, I was coming home.
