Aíto García Reneses, a mythical Spanish basketball coach, returns to Spain after a final stage of four years in Germany. The man from Madrid was officially presented this Friday as the new coach of Bàsquet Girona, which will debut this year in the ACB since it was refounded by Marc Gasol, president and star player of the entity.
“If Gasol trains well, I’ll count on him. If he doesn’t train well, there will be no choice but to put him on the bench,” García Reneses said ironically at the press conference held in the Fontajau pavilion. Gasol, 37, left the NBA last season and joined the Girona team, where he became the architect of promotion.
When they made me the proposal, I thought that one of my passions, if not the only one, is training.”
Now, Bàsquet Girona has opted for another veteran of the benches like García Reneses, 75, who avoided setting a qualifying goal: “Many times the pressure can with the teams. We have to think about playing to the maximum of our possibilities and that This one improves every month. The classification is secondary. I don’t put a limit on myself.”
“When they made me the proposal, I thought that one of my passions, if not the only one, is to train and be around basketball. I am excited to train the team. I would like to see if we are able to make them progress individually and collectively to play better and better added the veteran coach.
At this point in his career, García Reneses does not believe that the length of his contract is relevant: “I don’t mind signing for as long as it is. If at the end of the season we are fine and we can continue, if I am physically well, we will continue And if not, no. I don’t care about the length of the contract.”
Aíto García Reneses, during his presentation with Básquet Girona.
“We are still open (to new signings). I hope we can complete the squad soon. One drawback is that we are training with few players, partly because of international competitions. It is very important to train, to adapt to a new style of play and to new companions,” Aíto pointed out.
The Madrid coach has no preconceived idea of how his team will play: “It’s not that I come with an idea, we’ll look for the best way to play. Defensive and attacking aggressiveness, good rebounding and ball circulation… It all depends on the level that we are achieving at all times, of the qualities of the players”.
It is not that I come with an idea, we will look for the best way to play”
“The illusion is very good. When a team manages to go up, the fans are overturned. They showed it by exhausting the available tickets in a few hours. I perceive it on the street. People greet you and you can see that they are excited. This always helps, that form a common energy”, added Aíto about the connection with the fans.
García Reneses, whose last experience in the elite came as coach of the German Alba Berlin (2017-2021), has directed Barcelona (14 seasons), Joventut Badalona (7), CB Málaga (3 ), CB Sevilla (2) and CB Gran Canaria (2).
