The Valencian Community was hit hard by flash floods last week and is still dealing with the consequences
Valencia rebounded for suffering fans with hard-fought win over Aris
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In the aftermath of devastating floods which killed more than 200 people in its home region, Wednesday’s BKT EuroCup trip to Aris Midea Thessaloniki was never going to be easy for Valencia Basket.
Before the action, visiting coach Pedro Martinez admitted that his players had found it difficult to mentally prepare as they became the first professional sports team from Valencia to play a competitive game since the tragedy.
“Our mood is not the best, but we are professionals and we will try to play a good game”, Martinez told EuroLeague TV in his pre-game interview. “We are representing the people of Valencia. We would like to do more, but the only thing we can do today is try to play good basketball.”
Once the pre-game emotions were lifted and the action began, it was clear that Aris’s aggressive defense would do everything possible to limit the offensive explosiveness of the Spanish team, which had netted more than 100 points in its four previous games.
Valencia never looked like reaching those numbers on this occasion, with the Greek team’s ball-hawking skills forcing 5 turnovers in the first quarter alone. And that set the tone because by the end of the game, with Valencia held to only 63 points on low shooting percentages: 15 of 37 from two-point range (41%), and 7 of 32 from deep (22%).
But Pedro Martinez’s men were able to overcome their rare off night in terms of shooting accuracy – and claim a 59-63 victory – by instead showcasing another of their strengths: powerful rebounding.
The Spanish side dominated the boards from the opening tip, reaching a colossal 27 boards by halftime with 11 of those coming at the offensive end. By comparison, Aris only had 13 first-half rebounds, including 3 off the offensive glass.
By the end of the game the rebounding disparity had not been diminished, with Valencia claiming 55 boards and 25 at the offensive end (just two short of the club’s EuroCup record) while Aris’s respective numbers were 37 and 13.
And those extra possessions made a difference to the eventual outcome, with Valencia netting 9 second-chance points compared to 5 for Aris – a small but significant margin in such a low-scoring game.
The chief rebounder was Semi Ojeleye, who also led the team’s scoring as he contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds. And when the action was over, he reaffirmed the message that playing sport is secondary to his team during these difficult times.
“The city of Valencia right now is hurting,” said the forward. “Basketball is just a small part of life. Our hearts and our minds are always with the people that have lost so much. We just want to continue to think about them, to draw attention to them, and to help them heal in any way we can.”
Coach Martinez echoed those sentiments and added that his team’s commitment to the local community will continue into a challenging future. “We played for our supporters,” he noted. “They are suffering, but the most important thing is not to talk for only one day, or one week. We have a big problem in front of us. We need a lot of help and it is impossible to resolve in a few days.”