Asier Zengotitabengoa (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1988) is one of the few active players from Alava who can boast of playing basketball professionally. The forward from Gasteiz, who in his early years played 12 games with Bilbao Basket in the ACB, has become a true nomad in the sport of baskets, having played for more than ten different clubs throughout his career. that has been developed mainly between the LEB and in the French Second Division (Pro B). After five seasons in French basketball, Zengotitabengoa has returned to Spain this season at the hands of Fibwi Palma of LEB Plata, in which he is the top scorer with 17.2 goals per game.
How are things going for you on your return to state basketball?
Well, the truth. After five years in France, my body had already adapted to basketball there, which is very different: more physical, individual and anarchic, in the style of the NBA. At first my idea was not to return, I wanted to continue in France and I had several offers, but with the birth of my son, my wife, who is Croatian, and I wanted to be at home, either in Croatia or in Spain, somewhere where we were comfortable.
How did the option of returning to Palma come about?
Well, it was a rebound and at the last minute. I was training and practically signed by a team from the Croatian First Division, in Split. A specialized basketball website published that I had signed for that team and I responded with a tweet denying it. The next day they read it here, at the club where he had been before going to France, and they called me. I had just planned a trip to Vitoria two days later and from there I went directly to Palma instead of going back to Croatia. I was very comfortable in my first stage here and what am I going to say about Mallorca that people don’t know.
With the level you are offering, being the second highest scorer in the category, didn’t you have LEB Oro proposals?
Yes, I had two LEB Oro offers, but as I was saying, my idea was not to return. I wanted to put off signing with a French team until after my son was born in November and while I kept fit in Croatia, but when my Palma president called me I was happy with the option of coming back and trying to get promoted to the team. I focused more on the people of FIBWI Palma, whom I am very fond of, and how life is on the island than on the category in which I played.
They currently occupy the sixth position, do you see options to achieve that goal of promotion?
It is being a difficult season, with a lot of instability within the team. Every time we won several games in a row and became regular, something happened to us: player changes, injuries… Now we come in good shape and with the current format it doesn’t matter so much whether we make a better or worse regular season, since promotions are decided in it play off and the really important thing is to get to January in the best possible shape.
“Basketball does not end in Álava or in Spain, if you want to dedicate yourself to this the important thing is to try, destination is the least of it”
What balance do you make of your five years in France?
The truth is that it was a good experience and I was very happy the four years I was at Alsace and the last one at Lille. In fact, I was captain for three years in the first, and that is difficult to happen with foreign players in these categories. You don’t see many Spaniards because they have in mind that physically we cannot adapt to the demands of French basketball, but when they signed Xavi Forcada and me and we broke the league record with 31 wins and 3 losses, I think we managed to make them change that vision.
What level is there in the French Pro B compared to the LEB Oro?
It’s difficult to say, since as I said, they are two totally different styles of basketball. Maybe it’s a little above Pro B, mainly because the salaries are higher too. In fact, there are many NBA discards that make it to the French second division. I, for example, have played against Roko Ukic (formerly from Baskonia, Toronto and Milwaukee), Mickael Gelabale (formerly from Seattle and Minnesota) or some other high-level player like Florent Pietrus. I think it is somewhere in between between the LEB Oro and the ACB.
What does the fact of being one of the few people from Álava who dedicates himself professionally to this tell you?
Well, I don’t understand it, it seems incongruent to me that in a basketball city like Vitoria, with so many fans and people who practice the sport, so few of us are competing at a professional level. I went to the Barça youth academy at the age of twelve and if I had continued playing in Vitoria I don’t know if I would have become a professional. Probably not.
What do you think this is due to?
Maybe because there is no good infrastructure. There is Baskonia, but it is a single club, for more players to come out there must be more. For example, in Palma de Mallorca, which is a city slightly larger than Vitoria, there are a lot of neighborhood clubs that send players, not just FIBWI Palma, which is the main one in the city. Even small towns on the island have their own club. In Vitoria, if you don’t get into the team of your category at Baskonia, it’s very difficult for you to progress, and this is even more difficult when foreign talent is being signed. I have nothing against it, but it is a tendency of several ACB clubs and it makes it difficult to gain a foothold. When I was at the Masía there were only one or two international players.
You did not manage to gain a foothold in the ACB, but you have shown that there is life beyond that…
And so much! For various reasons, sometimes due to bad luck, I couldn’t have continuity in the ACB, but I am very happy and grateful for the career I’ve had. Obviously it’s not the same as playing for Real Madrid, Barcelona or Baskonia, but you can have a decent career without having to play for the best teams in the ACB. I am satisfied and I do not look back or think about what could have been.
“I met Peñarroya at Andorra and day-to-day with him is a joy, I’m not surprised that Baskonia is having such a good year”
What advice would you give a young man from Álava who wants to dedicate himself to this and cannot find a place at Baskonia?
Well, look for the chestnuts outside. On his day, my father had to create a team with several friends so that he could play in Vitoria because there was no basketball beyond Baskonia. When my parents saw that I was really passionate about it, they suggested that I go to Barcelona to try to continue growing, and I did so. Basketball doesn’t end in Álava nor in Spain, it’s very big and today with all the information out there you can find alternatives. The thing is to try it, if not in Vitoria, let it be in Zaragoza, Bilbao, Pamplona or wherever. You have to jump the barriers.
Are you still following Baskonia or have you joined Barça or another of your former teams?
No, I’m still from Baskonia and now that Joan Peñarroya is the coach and Alex Formento is the assistant even more so. The first was my coach at Andorra and with the second I played and shared a house at Huesca.
What do you think of the work they are doing this season?
Very good. The truth is that it’s nice to see Baskonia play this year. I met Joan for two years at Andorra and I know how he plays, how he trains and that day-to-day with him is a joy. He is someone who knows how to manage the player and is very comfortable with him in the team. I am not surprised that they are having such a good season, I can imagine what the daily work of the squad is like and how they treat their players. If you have that confidence and are calm with a coach, it shows when you play. I am very happy that he signed for Baskonia in the summer and that opportunities are given to young coaches who can do as well or better than someone with a much better name.
At 34 years old, he already has a long and eventful career. Do you see yourself playing basketball much longer?
Yes, of course. I am physically better than seven or eight years ago, I am taking care of myself and I will continue until my body can handle it. I’m not going to set goals, when my body asks me to quit, I’ll quit, I don’t want to be dragging myself around the court either. At the moment I feel fine and that’s what it’s worth. I don’t pay attention to whether I’m 34, 36 or 40 years old.
