Valencia Basket found a new coach, none other than Pedro Martinez, who will start his second stint with the club after signing a two-year deal on Tuesday. 

 Valencia brings back Pedro Martinez as head coach 

Valencia Basket has reached back into a successful past to put head coach Pedro Martinez on its bench again with a two-year mandate, the club announced on Tuesday. 

Martinez, 62, had previously coached Valencia for two seasons, from 2015 to 2017. He helped the team win its only Spanish League title in 2017 and also make to the BKT EuroCup Finals that year.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Es miércoles <br><br>Y los miércoles es el día del espectador <br><br>Así que hoy, hay 𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚 🚬 <a href="https://t.co/qqc9X957kC">pic.twitter.com/qqc9X957kC</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1795824919286042923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Martinez started his coaching career with Joventut Badalona, becoming the youngest coach ever to win a European trophy by leading Joventut to the 1989-90 Korac Cup crown at age 28. Martinez arrives from BAXI Manresa, where he worked for the last five seasons. It was his third stint with that club.

Martinez has also coached Salamanca, Granada, Ourense, Menorca, Tenerife, Dreamland Gran Canaria, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Estudiantes, Girona and Sevilla, all of his native Spain. Martinez helped Girona reach the EuroCup final in 2008, and also made it to the BCL final with Manresa in 2022.

Martinez is one of two coaches, along with Aito Garcia Reneses, to work in over 1,000 Spanish League games. He has a 24-22 EuroLeague record (52.2% wins) with Baskonia and Gran Canaria, and a 73-33 EuroCup record (68.9% wins) with Gran Canaria, Estudiantes, Girona and Valencia.

MORE VALENCIA BASKET NEWS

The club has brought back a former coach for a second stint with the club.

Valencia brings back Pedro Martinez as head coach

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica beat a local rival Studentski Centar in four games of the best-of-five Montenegrin League finals series, winning its fifth straight title. Buducnost clinched its 15th league championship in 16 season with an 83-90 Game 4 victory on Tuesday.

Buducnost repeats as Montenegrin League champ

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica beat a local rival Studentski Centar in four games of the best-of-five Montenegrin League finals series, winning its fifth straight title. Buducnost clinched its 15th league championship in 16 season with an 83-90 Game 4 victory on Tuesday.

Buducnost took control in the second quarter, and a 0-12 run that turned a 30-27 deficit into a 33-42 halftime lead. The hosts rallied in the first 5 minutes of the third, tying I at 47-47, but Aleksa Ilic scored 7 points as Buducnost re-established control, making it 54-65 after three quarters, and taking the lead for good.

Yogi Ferrell led the way in Game 4 win with 23 points. Kenan Kamenjas collected 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Ilic finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Joventut Badalona has completed the signing of Keye van der Vuurst, who spent last season with fellow Spanish side Palencia.

Keye van der Vuurst signs for Joventut Badalona

Joventut Badalona has completed the signing of Keye van der Vuurst, who has penned a three-year contract with the Spanish side.

Van der Vuurst (1.91 meters, 22 years old) is the club's first signing of the summer and he arrives after an impressive first season in Spain, as he averaged 10.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 34 Spanish League games for Palencia.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ca" dir="ltr">💥 Keye van der Vuurst: talent neerlandès que serà verd-i-negre fins al 2027<br><br>🤝 El Joventut i el base de 22 anys arriben a un acord per a les pròximes tres temporades<br><br>🔗 La notícia: <a href="https://t.co/WBdIWl4ZwG">https://t.co/WBdIWl4ZwG</a><br><br>👋 Benvingut, <a href="https://twitter.com/k_vuurst?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@k_vuurst</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Badalona%C3%89sFutur?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BadalonaÉsFutur</a> <a href="https://t.co/MuqdZeaIcb">pic.twitter.com/MuqdZeaIcb</a></p>&mdash; Club Joventut Badalona (@Penya1930) <a href="https://twitter.com/Penya1930/status/1795107731612864631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Before landing in Spain last summer, Van der Vuurst had spent his entire career with Belgian club Oostende. The Dutch point guard was able to play in the BNXT League, the Belgian League and the Basketball Champions League. 

Van der Vuurst lifted five Belgian League titles (2019-23), one Belgian Cup (2021), two Belgian Super Cups (2018, 2021) and two BNXT Super Cups (2021, 2022), while he was also named as the BNXT Belgian Finals MVP in 2022.

More Joventut News

New Joventut Badalona signing Keye van der Vuurst in action for Palencia in the Spanish League last season.

The point guard will make his EuroCup debut next season

Keye van der Vuurst signs for Joventut

U-BT Cluj-Napoca is once again in the Romanian League champion! Cluj won its fourth consecutive Romanian League title by topping CSM CSU Oradea 97-89 in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series. Cluj took all three home games and stole one on the road to win the series 4-1. In Game 5, Bryce Jones paced the winners with 22 points. Jarell Eddie added 16, Adam Mokoka had 15 while Mareks Mejeris, D.J. Seeley and Patrick Richard each got 10 for Cluj, which buried 13 of 27 three-pointers and finished the game with 19 assists and just 8 turnovers.

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Richards hit free throws to give Cluj a 24-22 lead after 10 minutes, then Eddie and Jones allowed the hosts to extend their margin to 44-41 at halftime. The hosts did not trail in the second half but Oradea managed to get within 78-75 with 7 minutes remaining. Cluj found a go-to guy in Mokoka, who had 6 points in an 8-0 run that gave his team a double-digit lead, 86-75. Cluj went on to control the game until the final buzzer, rounding arguably the club's best season until now, winning the Romanian double (league and cup titles) and reaching the BKT EuroCup quarterfinals for the first time.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca is the Romanian League champion!

London Lions successfully defended its British Basketball League Playoff title by edging Cheshire Phoenix 88-85 at The O2. Sam Dekker buried the go-ahead three-pointer in crunch time. 


London Lions is the British League playoff champion! 

Dekker paced the winners with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, earning MVP honors. Matt Morgan added 16 points while Gabe Olaseni and Tarik Phillip each added 12 for London, which had 23 assists, 7 steals and 7 blocks in this game. London used a 13-0 run that Dekker capped with a driving layup to get its first double-digit lead, 24-12, late in the first quarter, and still led 52-41 at halftime. Cheshire returned to the game in the third quarter and Laquincy Rideau's late heroics allowed their team to tie the game, 85-85, already in the final minute. Morgan found Dekker for a corner three-pointer and after a timeout, Maceo Jack and Aaryn Rai each missed from downtown at the other end. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BACK 2 BACKKKKK!!! 🔥🔥🦁🦁<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrownDefended?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrownDefended</a> <a href="https://t.co/zOqpJTPlIa">pic.twitter.com/zOqpJTPlIa</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1792246695943659997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

London won the British League title with a 33-3 regular season record, adding the playoff crown to round a near-perfect domestic season. It lost 82-98 against Cheshire in the British Trophy final in late January. Added to its domestic success, London made it to the BKT EuroCup semifinals, becoming the first British team to reach this far in European competitions. 

Coach Iisalo guided Paris to the top of the podium in their first season together

Tribute to the Champs: Tuomas Iisalo

Tuomas Iisalo continued his rapid rise into the conversation of the best coaches on the continent by leading Paris Basketball to the BKT EuroCup championship in their first season together. Under Iisalo’s tutelage, Paris reeled off a 22-1 record, including sweeps in both the EuroCup Semifinals and Finals. All of that led to him being named EuroCup Coach of the Year.  

The 41-year-old from Finland did not simply sit back and watch his team steamroll through the competition, but as his players attested to time and again in interviews during and after the season, Iisalo put his players through the ringer in practices, which were more intense than games. And those trying practices ensured that Paris was ready for whatever they came up against on the court.

Iisalo’s brilliance was not just the strategy, but the way he got all his player to buy in. He was open to taking input from his charges as well and thus built a close and united squad that only got stronger as the season progressed. 

The EuroCup was Iisalo’s second continental trophy in as many years after guiding Telekom Baskets Bonn to the FIBA Basketball Champions League crown in 2023. A shooting guard on the Finnish national team during his playing days, Iisalo began coaching in his home country with Tapiolan Honka in 2014 before heading to Germany the following season. He spent five seasons with Crailsheim Merlins, which he guided from the second division to fifth place in the top league. Then came two successful seasons with Bonn before he came to Paris – along with six of his players – to continue making history. 

The EuroCup MVP was the hero of Paris’s championship season

Tribute to the Champs: TJ Shorts

[TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tj-shorts/012608/) authored one of the greatest seasons in EuroCup history to lead Paris Basketball to a historic championship. The 1.75-meter guard shined from opening night through the finals as the unquestioned superstar for the champs. He led the EuroCup this season in PIR (23.4) and assists (7.3 apg.), was second in scoring (18.0 ppg.) and fifth in steals (1.9 spg.). Shorts also set EuroCup records for most accumulated assists in one season with 167.

He was the MVP in Rounds 1, 10 and 12 plus the quarterfinals, was then named EuroCup MVP and capped a majestic campaign as EuroCup Finals MVP: Shorts was the leader of the Paris pack, yet he always showed appreciation for those around him. After winning the championship, Shorts told Javier Gancedo in an interview: “I am just grateful for everybody that has contributed to this championship, from the coaches, the players, the people behind doors, in the offices. Everybody that contributed is great."

Paris Basketball playmaker TJ Shorts rounded a perfect season by earning 2024 EuroCup Finals honors, leading his team to its first-ever continental title.

TJ SHORTS | Finals MVP | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

None were greater on the court, though, than Shorts, the hero of Paris’s 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season. After a fantastic regular season, Shorts was even more dominant in the playoffs. He paced Paris in the quarterfinals against Joventut Badalona with 21 points and 9 assists for a PIR of 28. Then in the semifinals against the London Lions, he averaged 22.0 points on 73.7% two-point shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 steals for an average PIR of 28.5 in a two-game sweep. The finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse saw Shorts again shine as he completed his season with 22 points, 6 boards and 5 assists for a PIR of 28 in Game 2 to finish the series.

The EuroCup rookie was a key cog in Paris’s success, especially in the postseason

Tribute to the Champs: Mikael Jantunen

A transfer that perhaps went under the radar at Paris Basketball bringing in power forward [Mikael Jantunen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mikael-jantunen/012613/) from Italian side Treviso, with the Finnish power forward able to join up with his fellow compatriot, head coach Tuomas Iisalo.

Together, the two Finns took the BKT EuroCup by storm en route to a magical season that saw Paris dominate the competition and end the campaign as the champion. The 24-year-old Jantunen made an instant impression from day one, averaging 11.8 points through his first five games and netting at least 12 points in four of those five contests. In fact, his 15-point game against Prometey Slobozhanske in Round 5 was his best scoring night in the regular season.

Mikael Jantunen Top Plays from 10/01/2023 to 05/10/2024

It wasn’t just with scoring that Jantunen was making an impact. His rebounding and tenacity on the defensive end – he averaged 4.4 boards and 2.0 steals per game between Rounds 1 and 5 – made him a valuable piece for Coach Iisalo off the bat. While Jantunen’s numbers dropped over the next 10 games, he started to pick things up again before the playoffs, averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in the final three fixtures of the regular season.

Once in the playoffs, Jantunen certainly played his part. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per night in the postseason, demonstrating his all-around game, and ended the campaign in style by scoring 15 points – his joint career high – as Paris won Game 2 of the EuroCup Finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse to become the 2023-24 champion.

When the buzzer sounded on the final game of the BKT EuroCup season, Sebastian Herrera became the first Chilean player to win the competition. The road from growing up in Chile to celebrating winning the EuroCup was as long as it sounds. Herrera's strong performance with his national team at the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Under-18 World Tournament led to a professional contract in Germany with TBB Trier. From there he continued to Crailsheim Merlins, EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Telekom Baskets Bonn. He played for Coach Tuomas Iisalo at Crailsheim and Bonn and they both relocated to the French capital to play for Paris Basketball last summer. Accordingly, Herrera has been with Coach Iisalo longer than any other player and knows his brand of basketball as well as anyone.

Sebastian Herrera became the first Chilean player to win the BKT EuroCup title.

A tribute to the champs Sebastian Herrera, Paris

It shouldn't be a surprise then that their mutual trust paid off in the playoffs. In 12 regular season games, Herrera had off-the-charts efficiency, amassing 26 assists and just 1 turnover. On the other hand, he averaged just 5.1 points and a PIR of 5.2. After being unavailable in the quarterfinals, Herrera was Paris's secret weapon in the most important games, averaging 10.5 points in the semifinals against the London Lions and 9.0 points in the finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. He shot the ball well, making 9 of 17 three-pointers (52.9% 3FG) in the semifinals and finals. When the dust settled, Herrera had made history and was celebrating on top of the podium wrapped in a Chilean flag.