2009-10

Although the season starts with a significant budget reduction and the loss of Pamesa Cerámica's main sponsorship after 23 years, it will be remembered as one of the most beautiful in the club's history. The second best Regular League in history will be achieved and, above all, it will be the year of the conquest of the Eurocup in Vitoria and the consequent return to the Euroleague.

The summer saw a change in the offices. Manuel Llorente left the club for Valencia Club de Fútbol. After a period of reflection, the maximum shareholder, Juan Roig, restructured the club's management, leaving the Presidency to Vicente Solá and the Vice-Presidency and General Management in the hands of Francisco Raga. For this new project, Neven Spahija is the new head coach, assisted by Chechu Mulero and Pere Romero.

The roster has undergone a deep reshuffle, with the departure of Albert Miralles, Albert Oliver, Vule Avdalovic, Ermal Kuqo, Kenny Gregory and Shammond Williams. Returning from last year are shooting guard Rafa Martínez, forward Víctor Claver, who will become captain, and centers Florent Pietrus and Australian Matt Nielsen, who will be named second team captain.

In his place, the club has signed young French point guard Nando de Colo. To join him in this position, the club has signed point guard Marko Marinovic from Red Star and has brought in José Simeón, a native of Silla, from the youth academy. For the backcourt, Rawle Marshall, an experienced shooting guard/forward, has been recruited. For the frontcourt, the Ukrainian Serhiy Lishchuk arrives from Azovmash and the young Iván García completes the squad.

The first team, under the name of Valencia Basket, overcame one of the most important moments of the season by eliminating Dexia Mons in the Eurocup qualifiers. Spahija's team recovered in Valencia and after an overtime, the 15-point disadvantage they had brought from the first leg in Belgium.

After this transcendental event, two important events took place in November. On the sporting side, Rawle Marshall was replaced by Thomas Kelati, an American shooting guard/forward of Eritrean descent and with ACB experience in Unicaja, who became one of the best “sixth men” in the League. On the social side, Power Electronics, a Valencian company owned by the Salvo family, joins the project as a main sponsor. From then on, the club will compete under the name of Power Electronics Valencia Basket.

The passing of the months confirms a good line in competitions. The team is settled in fourth place in the ACB with victories of merit such as the one achieved in the Fonteta against Barça with a triple by Rafa Martínez in 0.7 seconds. It walks with firm step in the Eurocup and competes with dignity in the Copa del Rey in Bilbao, where it reaches the semifinals after eliminating Asefa Estudiantes. Only the best Barça in history stopped them in the disputed semifinals.

The greatest joy was yet to come. After passing the Last16 of the Eurocup comfortably as first of the group, they beat Aris with a great level in the quarterfinals, getting the ticket for the Eurocup Finals in Vitoria. More than 1,500 Taronja fans will travel there in search of a ticket for the next Euroleague. The team shows the best level of the season both in the semifinal against Panellinios with a great accuracy from three-point range, as well as with a great defense against Alba Berlin in the final, whom they beat 67-44. Matt Nielsen is named MVP, symbolizing the group work that allows to reach the glory. Power Electronics Valencia won the Eurocup and earned a place in the next Euroleague.

In the final stretch of the ACB, the team achieves more milestones in the club's history. The 16-1 home record is the best ever at the Fonteta, with a two-win difference over the previous one. The final 23-11 run equals the balance of 2003-04, which is the second best regular league in history, only surpassed by 2002-03. This allows us to achieve, for the third time in history, home court advantage in the quarterfinals. The opponent in the Playoffs will be Unicaja de Málaga.

An evenly matched first game at the Fonteta fell on the Malaga side thanks to a last-second layup. With 0-1, the defeat two days later in Malaga certifies a painful elimination in the Quarterfinals. The bitter aftertaste, however, does not tarnish a season that remains in the golden history of Valencia Basket Club.