The slow growth of the level of San Juan basketball in previous years experienced a more vertiginous growing boom in recent years thanks to the emergence of the Sports Revolution, the careful work of the local Federation and the sponsorship of the Sports Secretariat for the activity of the clubs, Federation, and national participation of teams from San Juan in the National League.
The path started by Jáchal BC, Federal champion 2021, and currently in the Argentine League, was followed by Revolución Básquet San Juan, with the merger of the Ausonia, Urquiza and Universidad clubs, continuing and improving the previous San Juan Básquet project and seeking a further development in the 2022 Federal League, but with the premise of achieving growth with local resources.
For this reason, the Secretary of Sports sponsored this project that included a San Juan organization, a local coaching staff and players from provincial clubs, with a very good appearance of young and youth players in combination with three or four experienced players, facing a Federal League and facing teams with a structure of several years of competition and with reinforced campuses.
“For the province it is an important step to have teams competing in national tournaments. And much more if, like the San Juan Básquet Revolution, it gives our young people the opportunity to measure themselves with the best Argentine level. It is one more step that our promises can travel in their dream for high performance, demonstrating the grassroots work that has been done at the provincial level for some years,” said the Secretary of Sports, Jorge Chica, in reference to the important participation of this San Juan project that empowers young local values and the incessant work of Governor Sergio Uñac’s sports policy.
Let us remember that Revolución Básquet acted as a local in the new stadium of Club Urquiza, also using that of Club Villa Lanteri, both immersed in the project to improve the sports infrastructure of provincial basketball clubs carried out by the current management, and that made it possible to assume the commitment of a National League, knowing that they have a suitable scenario to act at home, an aspect in which other teams show a huge shortcoming.
Fernando Llarena, based at the National University of San Juan and with a life dedicated to basketball, in his role as team leader, highlighted: “The balance is very positive. We are convinced that San Juan has a great project ahead of it, with many youthful boys with sporting ability who must be given the opportunity to compete. Plus the contribution of Hugo Castro and the Uzair brothers, I think it has given strength to the team. The support of the Basketball Federation of San Juan for this merger between Urquiza, Ausonia and the UNSJ has been very important, as well as the Secretary of Sports that fully trusted the institutions that decided to merge. We are very happy with what has been done, although very sad for not qualifying for the Playoffs, which was the objective, although we know that a 7th place is not bad to compete again in an Argentine Federal League”, he stated.
The coaching staff led by Sergio Cabañas was made up of Juan Pablo Olivares as technical assistant and Diego Romera’s physical preparation, all from the local youth academy. “Chivo” Cabañas expressed himself making a sporting balance of this phase of the League and commented: “We completed 18 games of which we stayed with 6 wins and 12 losses and among them we lost 5 games in overtime, local and visitor. We had games with great performance and others where we were a bit short to get a few more victories. We believe that the balance is highly positive, taking into account the fact that we competed with a 100% San Juan squad, being the only ones in this region that did it with their own players, since the other teams have 4 or 5 reinforcements. That is why we are very happy to have met the objective of being competitive with this squad in such a tough Federal League”.
Continuing with the dialogue with the coach, who began as DT in Ausonia, and who later did so in his birthplace as a player, Club Atlético Urquiza: “We were able to give the team projection, minutes on the pitch for players between 15 and 18 years, training in quantity and quality, showing great play in the last game with Unión, where we closed with victory. We were very close to qualifying among the top six, which was the objective of the project, but we don’t regret it because we were able to play at a high level, with a majority of young players and others with experience”.
Finally, Manuel García, in his role as sports manager, contributed his balance for this Federal League: “In these months we were able to capitalize on the youth team, in terms of team, training, personal and collective development. This is the most important thing, beyond the sports results, the training part of the youth and experienced players, in a clearly San Juan team, with San Juan players, reaching the national level in a federal league. We have been able to measure ourselves against teams with a larger budget, greater development and experience, being able to finish in the middle of the table and overcoming injuries, and COVID of several players”.
“It is a new process in basketball in San Juan. Regarding sports management, we have accompanied and tried to give another concept and added value to the team, with a technical team, press, nutritionists, coaching. It is very good for basketball in San Juan, since we have been able to efficiently manage and administer the resources assigned to the province and the Federation, so we are very happy, a very positive balance for our basketball and especially for our organization. and this new Revolution that is taking place in basketball in San Juan” commented García, who along with the entire organization of the team, with the work done in this league, is already thinking about the future to continue participating at this level, and why not , dream of being protagonists, classifying for the playoffs and dreaming of promotion.
