2002-03

It is considered the best season in the history of Valencia Basket. The summer warned of the intentions to grow, and the most ambitious project known by the club until that moment began. Paco Olmos, a Valencian coach who had been assistant coach years before, was placed at the helm and was chosen to lead the most ambitious squad in the club's history.

The first real big-name signing of the summer is Fabricio Oberto. The center, wanted by all the big Spanish teams such as Real Madrid, accepted the Valencian proposal. Dejan Tomasevic, a vital player along with Oberto in TAU's ACB title the previous year, arrives right after. Oberto and Tomasevic, who just days before joining the team will play in the Indianapolis World Cup Final, will form a playing partnership that will provide the Fonteta with great days of basketball. As a faithful squire from the bench, the North American Bernard Hopkins remains in his fifth and last season, and as fourth inside rotation Asier García, a shooting center who has just had a great season in the LEB League, has been hired.

The remodeling continues on the outside. Nacho Rodilla is the point guard, a position for which Alejandro Montecchia, an Argentinean point guard, also runner-up in the world championship and with the ability to shoot from the outside, has been hired. Both will take turns at point guard until the end of the season.

On the backcourt, Víctor Luengo continues to be an important player at shooting guard, a position in which Alessandro Abbio is already fully integrated. In addition, three-point specialist Pedro Robles has been recruited and is looking to take advantage of his opportunities. For the small forward position, in addition to the presence of José Antonio Paraiso, Federico Kammerichs, who after his loan to Ourense consolidates himself as one of the most promising small forwards in the league.

The season starts in a very positive way, and in the league we compete with nothing more and nothing less than the FC Barcelona of Dejan Bodiroga, Saras Jasikevicius or Juan Carlos Navarro for the first position in the Regular League.

The first great misfortune came in the Copa del Rey to be played in Valencia. There, in the quarterfinal game against Gran Canaria Grupo Dunas, Alessandro Abbio falls to the floor with a serious knee injury that will keep him away from the courts until the end of the season. As if that were not enough, the team lost against TAU in the semifinals, not being able to reach the desired final at home.

The pains were redeemed with a great run in the Regular League, and with merit victories in courts as complicated as Real Madrid, Unicaja, Vitoria and FC Barcelona. But undoubtedly, the greatest joy would be given at that time by the European competition. The newly created ULEB Cup saw how Pamesa Valencia advanced rounds, beating in the round of 16 the German RheinEnergie, in the quarterfinals the Croatian Zadar in a very tough second leg, and in the semifinals Estudiantes with a really close second leg in Madrid. On the way to the final, Hopkins' two-month injury allowed Brian Cardinal to enter the team, a power forward shooter who, after his time in Valencia, played an important role in the Golden State Warrriors.

Cardinal arrived in time to join the European final, played over two legs and in which the opponent was Krka Novo Mesto coached by Neven Spahija and led by Jamie Arnold and Aleksandar Capin. The resounding victory in Slovenia in the first game, by 78-90 with a great team work in which Nacho Rodilla stood out, made it possible to get closer to the dream. In the second leg at the Fonteta, the work of an immeasurable Tomasevic helped to achieve the first European title in history and something even more important, to seal the ticket for the next Euroleague.

There was still joy to be had this season. The level shown in the final stretch of the Regular League, where Ukrainian Gregory Khyzhnyak replaced Tomasevic for two games due to injury. Towards the final stretch, a new addition, the Greek shooting guard Panayotis Liadelis, which would help to not miss Abbio so much. With Tomasevic recovered and with Liadelis integrated, Pamesa Valencia faced the Play-Offs with a winning mentality. They beat DKV Joventut 3-0 in the quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals for the first time in history, and there they got rid of Unicaja in the fifth game.

It had taken a lot of suffering, but Pamesa Valencia was already an ACB finalist. In front of them, the recent Euroleague Champion. Pamesa Valencia traveled to Palau Blaugrana without complexes, and in the first two games they had serious options to win, especially in the first one. With 2-0 against, the heat of the Fonteta wanted to make the miracle possible, but a great Jasikevicius put an end to the dream.