Although he had been joining the training sessions since September, Marc Gasol (Barcelona, 37 years old) told the locker room the night before, when November was coming to an end. “Guys, I’m joining the team”, he blurted out to the delight of Bàsquet Girona, then fifteenth in the table and with some concern because the LEB Gold category was becoming entangled. Since then, the victories have accumulated and this weekend they will play the Final Four for promotion to the ACB League, in the semifinal against Lleida (this Saturday, 8:00 p.m.) and if it happens, against the winner of Estudiantes-Palencia (5:30 p.m.). hours). Double reason for satisfaction for Marc, because he is not only the center on the court but he is also the president of the entity that he founded in 2014 when he was still playing in the NBA, in the Memphis Grizzlies.
For Marc, the days are short of hours because he has to unfold, because he knows when he will enter the Parque de la Pabellón Fontajau but not when he will leave the offices. “I wake up very early because I like the silence of the first hours, when everyone is asleep, to be able to visualize how the day is coming and prepare for meetings or training sessions,” says Gasol; “What happens is that as a player I spend a lot of time because I get older and it’s hard for me to oil the machine, so the days are too short for me afterwards”. Work is not lacking because each course improves the previous one. He founded the club in 2014 with five teams (two children, two cadets and one junior), and now has 20, in addition to 3×3 basketball – his brother Pau, vice president of the club, puts special emphasis on that – and wheelchair. “We are growing a lot as an entity”, he acknowledges; “We started four years ago with the first team, they were promoted to the LEB Oro in 2019, and we had 150 fans. Now, we organize a Final Four in which the tickets sold out quickly, and we have 400 people at the base, in addition to 70 trainers”, the president proudly expands. It happens, however, that on the court he does not act like one.
“He manages to separate the presidency very well from the locker room issue and we have normalized it,” says forward Gerad Sevillano. “It’s that he is president when he leaves the locker room,” adds shooting guard Txemi Urtasun; “Which does not mean that from time to time we jokingly call him a prisoner or boss”. Point guard Albert Sàbat intervenes: “Although he accepts and makes jokes, we don’t make too many of them because we respect him, eh? And admiration for everything he does for the club”. This is how the coach Jordi Sargatal sees it, who puts a bit of humor on it: “Well, I can scold him… No, actually from the beginning he is one more and when he puts on his work overalls he is not the president, but that Marc Gasol is the player, which is not little”. Although there is also the strange situation that they must resolve the premiums in case of promotion -they have not yet closed it-, where Marc is part and judge. “I’m sure it stretches,” the three players comment with amusement.
Promotion is not an easy task, another challenge for Marc Gasol a few months ago he played at the Staples Center. “He is one of the best players in the world”, acknowledges Sàbat. This is how his career explains it, that after winning the FIBA Eurocup with Akasvayu, being named the best in the ACB League in 2008 and breaking Arvydas Sabonis’ record by being named MVP in 11 games, he began his career in the NBA with the Grizzlies . He was a three-time All Star (2012, 2015 and 2017), was the Best Defensive Player in 2013 and won the title in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors. With the national team he played 191 games and won the World Cup for the second time, in 2019, and also the 2009 and 2011 Eurobaskets, and the silver medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and at the 2007 Eurobasket. Now, however , travels throughout Spain by bus and focuses on going up to the ACB. “It is not comparable to an NBA final. But the older I get, the more importance I give to the present because I don’t have many moments like this left, finals, competitions”, agrees Marc; “and mentally it’s the same thing, thinking about the details, about the effort, about the work ahead of you and enjoying it through sacrifice and effort”.
In the team they trust him and his influence in the game. “He was not in Melilla and we lost that game playing quite badly. Marc gives us cohesion, leadership and seriousness”, says Urtasun. “He gives us a lot of confidence both in attack and defense and he brings rigor and order as well as covering up the mistakes of others. And on top of that, despite who he is, he’s not selfish at all and doesn’t have a problem sharing the ball. Although it is clear that at key moments we look for him because he makes the difference”, exposes Sàbat. “He is the beacon of the team”, adds Sevillano; “Because of his game and because he also helps us a lot with his advice, even in tactical talks. He is very smart and sees further.” His numbers attest to this, five times MVP in LEB Oro days, with 23 games summed up in 25.27 minutes, 14.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
There are two games left to find out if Gasol is promoted with Bàsquet Girona, although he is reluctant to reveal whether he will continue to wear shorts next year. “It does not depend on the result. I am focused on playing and next week will be another ”, he resolves. “When we have tested him, he throws balls out,” says Sevillano. “I hope you are excited to continue. We’ll see after the weekend”, added Urtasun. “At the moment we don’t press him, but hopefully he will continue for many years because it is amazing to have him with us,” Sàbat emphasizes. President and pivot.
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