BarcelonaMost of the fans know how to recite from memory most of the Barça players who in 2003 were proclaimed champions of the Euroleague. Dejan Bodiroga, Gregor Fucka, Joan Carles Navarro or Sarunas Jasikevicius, the current coach of the Blaugrana team, will forever be part of the supporters’ imagination, but there is one that very few remember. Remon van de Hare was only 20 years old when the Catalan team lifted the title at the Palau Sant Jordi, 20 years ago now.
“The memories I have are very good because I was part of the best team in the history of Barça. It is the only Barcelona team to have won the treble in the same season: the Euroleague, the Liga and the Copa del Rey. The players that made up that squad were impressive. Seeing them live in training or in matches was a pass. The quality was incredible. I really enjoyed that stage,” he tells ARA.
Van de Hare didn’t get many minutes, but that doesn’t spoil an unforgettable memory. “Svetislav Pesic was a very good coach, but he gave me few opportunities. He was clear that he had come to win the Euroleague and the youngsters didn’t have much of a role,” recalls the ex-pivot. One of his companions was Jasikevicius. “He had a great vision of the game and was one of the leaders in the locker room. You could tell he had coaching skills, but I think most of the players on that team could have. Their knowledge of basketball was great.” , analyzes the player, who was chosen by the Toronto Raptors in the draft of the NBA.
“We connected very well with the Barça fans. The Palau Blaugrana was almost always full and they cheered us on a lot. I went through Barça B, where the entertainment groups were already coming to see us. The feeling was brutal. During the final four, Palau Sant Jordi was a permanent party”, explains Van de Hare. After playing for Barça, the Dutchman played in Slovenia, Cyprus and Ukraine. His retirement was premature. “When I was playing in Ukraine I suffered a back injury They wanted me off the team because they said I wouldn’t be able to continue playing basketball. It wasn’t true, but that situation wore me down a lot. We spent two years with trials,” he recalls. Before retiring, he played with Mataró in the EBA League.
When he retired, Van de Hare settled in the Maresme. “We have a wholesale fruit and vegetable company, and I am the accountant. In addition, I am dedicated to being a father,” sums up the former Barça player, who has three children. The medium, who is just 11 years old, plays in the lower categories of Joventut de Badalona. “He likes it and has a lot of fun, but he already knows that the priority at home is his studies,” he explains.
