Unicaja is the 2023 Copa del Rey champion. After beating Barça and Real Madrid, they defeated Tenerife in the final (80-83) and completed a historic machada, winning the second cup title in their history after the one won in 2005 After the victory was achieved, Ibon Navarro, Unicaja’s coach, valued his team’s victory.
What did you think of the match?
“First of all, congratulate Lenovo Tenerife on their project, it is a mirror in which many teams look at ourselves. They are a team made with a lot of sense, who are improving every year and who are improving every year. All honors and respect for them. It was the most difficult game, not because it was a final, but because Tenerife is the one who made our game more difficult for us. We won three quarters but until the end of the third, when we arrived fresher, and we picked up the pace of the game, we didn’t let go. I am very proud and happy for the boys, I love them very much, because what they have done in the last two weeks has been very important. I think the togetherness, cohesion, and meaning of a family is a lot like what’s on this team.”.
Was the final more difficult?
“There are two games that are very similar, that of Real Madrid and that of Barça and then that of Tenerife. They put the same soul, heart and illusion as us and decided on small details concentrated in the last room. We knew that the match against Tenerife was going to be more difficult. Tenerife is worse for us than Barça or Madrid because they play a very serious, slow type of game, and we live off the opponent’s mistake. It is something that hurts us a lot. This game was going to be different and the most complicated”.
Was such a result expected?
“When I was dismissed as coach a little over 1 year and 20 days ago, I thought it was difficult to be here. But life takes many turns in a short time. Although it sounds like a cliché, the important thing is not this, it is what makes you enjoy this. Health, family, friends… If you don’t have that, you can’t enjoy”.
Players point to you as the key to success…
“If there is something that prevails in this group, it is the lack of selfishness, of egos. We all put the team before individual interests. It’s not my merit, it’s having found these people and fitting in. There is a lot of work in the selection of the players, more than the people. Everything has fit very well, and there is a part of chance there”.
Unicaja’s is a project that continues to grow.
“What doesn’t improve gets worse, if you stay here they will overtake you. The level of the coaches in this league is maximum. All the clubs work well. If you don’t improve, you lose. This is a project that was born last year, there are moments of doubt, but with the utmost enthusiasm the team is made in summer. It is not normal to sign 9 players and have everything fit. Last year something very similar happened to Manresa”.