2011-12

In this new season, the core of the squad of the last few years continued. The skeleton of the team, formed by players such as Nando de Colo, Rafa Martínez, Víctor Claver, Flo Pietrus and Serhiy Lishchuk continued, each one accumulating at least 3 years of experience in the club.

Along with them, the club acquired the services of American Nik Caner-Medley (Asefa Estudiantes), Australian AJ Ogilvy (Besiktas) and Spanish-Brazilian Vitor Faverani (UCAM Murcia) to complete the inside game. On the outside, two new point guards, Rodrigo San Miguel (Assignia Manresa) and Serbian international Stefan Markovic (Benetton Treviso). The outside post was completed by Latvian international Rihards Kuksiks, coming from the North American University League.

At the head of the team, Paco Olmos, who thus completed his third stage in the club, the first, as training coach and assistant coach of the team in the 90s, the second, as head coach between 2002 and 2004, and the third, in this new stage.

In the first few rounds of the league, the experience, the youth of the squad, and, above all, a hallmark of the season began to make its mark: injuries. Practically always in the first 8 places of the league with merit victories in Vitoria or against a rising Unicaja, Valencia Basket began to accuse the lack of players. This plague of injured players of the taronja team made them look for a replacement in the market for the continuous injuries. The NBA lockout allowed the arrival of Tiago Splitter, whose stay led to a streak of 4 wins and only one loss.

Already without Splitter, Valencia Basket went back to the market to look for replacements, signing Zarko Rakocevic in December for one month. The bad luck of injuries also hit the Montenegrin fighter, who almost did not participate in the team. The rotation was still short, and in January the signing of Australian forward Brad Newley from Lietuvos Rytas became effective.

But with the plague of injuries Valencia Basket failed in the key games that gave access to the Copa del Rey, being left out of the event. This unexpected non-qualification precipitated the departure of Paco Olmos at the end of the first round of the league. His replacement, Velimir Perasovic, who faced in Valencia his fourth experience as a coach in Spain, after a career as an elite player.

In Europe, the Eurocup had taken a different route. With a good start from the beginning, Valencia Basket went through the first two rounds with a firm step. The first, against Tony Parker's Asvel (until the end of the lockout), the Lukoil of former Taronjas such as Sundov, Stoykov and Avramov, and Telenet Oostende. In the second phase, the steady pace became more evident, as the team went 6-0 to qualify for the group stage.

The good second round in the Endesa League had an impact on the results, and, little by little, Valencia Basket settled definitively among the top 8, approaching the privileged positions. La Fonteta vibrated again as in a great game against Real Madrid, paradigm of a magnificent second round. All just before sealing the pass to the Eurocup Finals in the crossover against the dangerous KK Buducnost of Montenegro. Moscow was already on the horizon.

Two and a half weeks later, Moscow arrived. Valencia Basket traveled in search of its third European championship with 200 brave players. Injuries, which seemed to be forgotten, returned in the figure of Rodrigo San Miguel, who would miss the event. The first stop, the semifinals against Lietuvos Rytas, where Perasovic's men presented their strong candidacy in a serious and well-worked game. In the final, the host Khimki, with former Taronjas like Matt Nielsen or Thomas Kelati, posed a tough clash that was equalized with 2 minutes to go, with 66-66. The Russians took the duel, and Valencia Basket was left at the gates of European glory.

Back in Valencia, and despite the disappointment of the defeat, Valencia Basket completed a remarkable end of the league despite the misfortunes of injuries to players like Rafa Martinez and Serhiy Lishchuk, rising to fourth place in the Endesa League, and getting home court advantage in the quarterfinals against Lagun Aro GBC.

Lishchuk's absence and Rafa's doubt for the final stretch led to the arrival of American shooting guard Taquan Dean. After winning the first game at the Fonteta, the Donostiarras responded by winning the second game in a hurry, leaving the Fonteta Factor to decide the historic pass to the semifinals, for the second time in the history of Valencia Basket.

There awaited the powerful Barça Regal of Juan Carlos Navarro. Valencia Basket, despite the physical decline, exacerbated by Stefan Markovic's injury, took the second game at the Palau Blaugrana, transferring home court advantage to Valencia. La Fonteta vibrated with the possibility of touching the league final, but the Culés showed their authority and took the third game. In the fourth game, Valencia Basket caressed the fifth game in a titanic effort, but it slipped through their fingers. La Fonteta, on its feet, forced its squad to return to the court from the locker room, recognizing the effort of a team that once again made its fans vibrate.

The great work of Valencia Basket during this season, especially its European merits, was enough to qualify for the next edition of the Supercopa Endesa.