2000-01

The 2000-01 season began with significant changes. Pamesa Valencia radically changed its playing uniform, going from red and white to orange, and gradually becoming known as the “taronja” team in the social conscience. It was not the only important change to note, since on the bench, Miki Vukovic left his place to Luis Casimiro, a coach from La Mancha who won an ACB league with the surprising TDK Manresa and who came to Valencia from Cáceres.

Two important changes in a squad that kept most of the pieces of the last years. Again, as in the previous year, the positions to change were the center and small forward positions. At the center position, Tanoka Beard left his place to Derrick Alston, an elegant player in offense and forceful in defense, winner together with Casimiro of the league in TDK and who came from Futbol Club Barcelona. Alston would share the paint during this and the following year with Bernard Hopkins, in his third year at the club. The inside game was again completed with the player from Torrent, Alfons Albert, and with Rubén Burgos as the last rotation. As the season progressed, an injury to Albert brought in German Axel Pleuger on a temporary basis.

At the small forward position, the one chosen to be part of the squad was the Frenchman Hugues Occansey, international forward more than 100 times with France, who had to be cut after 11 games due to heart problems. His replacement in the squad was Pat Durham, a stout American small forward with a French passport, who filled the position until the end of the season. The outside rotation was completed by the pair formed by Víctor Luengo and José Luis Maluenda at shooting guard and Berni Álvarez at small forward in what would be his sixth and last season with the team.

At the point guard position, the pair formed by Nacho Rodilla and César Alonso, was joined this time by a new signing, Jordi Millera, with ACB experience in Granollers, TAU and TDK and who would end up occupying the position of second point guard after Rodilla.

The season starts with 5 consecutive victories and the team qualifies comfortably for the Copa del Rey, where they beat Adecco Estudiantes in the quarterfinals, as revenge for the previous year. However, in the semifinals, the FCBarcelona cyclone, led by an explosive Pau Gasol, left the team with no chance of reaching the final. Gasol would go on to win his first MVP in the final against Real Madrid.

The European season presented a chance to fight again for the Saporta Cup, but the team stumbled in the semifinals against the French team Elan Chalon, falling short of its second continental final. A bad game in the first leg at the Fonteta leaves the Valencians at the mercy of what happened in France, where a good opportunity is lost.

In the Regular League, the fifth place forces them to play again in the Quarterfinals without home-court advantage, this time against Unicaja. Pamesa Valencia did the heroic deed and takes the victory in the second game of the series against Boza Maljkovic's team. However, the Fonteta gets choked and Pamesa Valencia ends up losing 3-1 in the series.