Romaric Belemene, physical strength in the forward position for UEMC Real Valladolid Basketball
The player of Congolese origin, but with the condition of training quota at the federation level, measures 2.02, is a physical and versatile wonder, who can play both far and near the basket and defend rivals in very external positions. Trained at Unicaja Málaga, and with extensive international experience, in the ACB and LEB Oro.
Romaric Belemene is the fourth signing of UEMC Real Valladolid for the 2022/2023 season. The player, 25 years old and 2.02 tall, plays in the forward position, although he can also do so in other positions, he trained at Unicaja Málaga and, despite his youth, has extensive experience outside of Spain and in the ACB and the LEB Gold. Last season he played in the ranks of the Cáceres World Heritage Site.
The new member of UEMC Real Valladolid Baloncesto is a small forward with an impressive athletic ability that allows him to intimidate and block behind, in addition to stealing balls and being able to go on the counterattack. His size and speed also allows him to defend very perimeter opponents. Offensively, he has a good outside shot and the ability to function facing and with his back to the basket. His physical conditions mean that he can play above the rim and be vertical to attack it.
Judicaël Romaric Belemene Dzabatou (Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo; February 19, 1997) was trained in the lower categories of the prestigious Unicaja Málaga, one of the main national basketball academies. In fact, he took his first steps in the Málaga subsidiary, playing in the EBA League, and at just 16 years old he made his debut in the LEB Oro with the affiliated Clínicas Rincón of the Andalusian Club. His irruption was immediate and since the following year, 2014/2015, he competes in the Spanish second division.
In 27 games, he has averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds, numbers and performances that open the window of the ACB League, a category in which he plays four games. The following year he continued to grow and train, with which Romaric Belemene continues in the discipline of Unicaja Málaga, with whom he plays a new match in the Endesa League, while he is part of LEB Plata’s Rincón Clinics, standing out with averages of 14.9 points and 4.5 bounces.
In the 2016/17 academic year, he left on loan to Bàsquet Manresa and added 30 games in the ACB League for his personal account, which grew and grew despite his youth. More than ten minutes per match on average made him evolve until, in 2017/2018, he went out on loan again, only this time it was the LEB Oro where he broke in.
At Club Oviedo Baloncesto, he recorded 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds before, that same summer, rescinding his relationship with Unicaja Málaga. That step, however, did not prevent him from returning to the Endesa League, since the Breogán Basketball Club was his destiny. A season with the Galicians in the highest category of Spanish basketball preceded his signing for Legia Warsaw with whom he played in the national competition, the FIBA Europe Cup and the qualifying round of the Basketball Champions League. International experience and in the elite of the continent to continue growing as a player.
Before the pandemic prematurely suspended the 2020/2021 season, Romaric Belemene played eight games with Melilla Sport Capital, confirming his return to a category in which he has continued until then. Leyma Coruña and Cáceres World Heritage, in the following campaigns, were the teams in which he has left his mark. The most recent course, with a great campaign from Extremadura, has resulted in an average of 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds.
In total, the African player has played 66 games in the ACB League, 117 in the LEB Oro and 34 in the LEB Plata, an outstanding figure despite being only 25 years old. In this way, the UEMC Real Valladolid Baloncesto not only signs a promise for the future, but also a reality of the present and who is a veteran in Spanish basketball.
fight for everything
With ambition and desire, very much desire, Romaric Belemene offers his feelings after having signed for UEMC Real Valladolid Baloncesto. “I am delighted to be part of this great team and to play for the city. The project has called me a lot. I think that personally, as a player, the style of play of Paco García and the team suits me well. I think the project is very solid and there is an interesting team to aspire to everything. You have to play before thinking about the results, but I think the normal thing would be to fight for everything. We will try to be as high as possible, but the league is going to be complicated because there are many good teams, but we will also be there to fight. I hope it will be a happy year for us, for me, for the city and for the whole world. We are very excited to get started.”
For his part, the UEMC Real Valladolid Basketball coach, Paco García, analyzed what Romaric Belemene can contribute on the pitch. “He is a player of proven physical power, with Spanish training at Unicaja Málaga, with a step and experience in the LEB Oro and the ACB. This year he has been a key player in Cáceres and the team’s good season. He is a player with a good outside shot, a high forward who can play facing and with his back to the basket, with the ability to defend, anticipate and steal balls, block and intimidate. He complements very well with what we already have on the perimeter and goes along the lines of making the team much more physical. We believe that he is a player with youth and important development both in this league and to be able to reach the highest category in a short time”.
