Bahía Basket

Bahía Basket (also named Weber Bahía for sponsorship reasons) is a professional Argentine basketball team based in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province.

This article is about the team formed in 2010. For the original club established in 1918, see Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca.
Bahía Basket
LeaguesLNB
Founded25 May 2010 (2010-05-25)
ArenaDow Center
Capacity4,000
LocationBahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Team colors              
PresidentJuan Ignacio Sánchez
Head coachJosé L. Pisani
Websitebahiabasket.com.ar
Home
Away

The club plays in the Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB), the top division of the Argentine league system as a successor of Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca after the club sold its vacant position in the league.[1] Its first home venue was Estadio Osvaldo Casanova, rented to its owner, Estudiantes. Since 2020, Bahía Basket venue is the Dow Center, with capacity for 4,000 spectators.[2]

History

Bahía Basket began as a personal project of former player Pepe Sánchez in an attempt to keep Bahía Blanca's place in the top division of Argentine basketball.[3][4]

Initially, the main sponsor of the project was the Weber Saint-Gobain Group, which gave assistant in administration issues,[5], as a result, the first name of the team was "Weber Bahía Estudiantes".[6]

One of the first by the committee was to refurbish the Osvaldo Casanova stadium, renovating its surface, grandstands and access. In addition, some players signed with the team, including Pepe Sánchez himself (at 34 years old) and Juan Espil. Other players that came to Bahía Basket were Lucas Faggiano, Pablo Gil, Facundo Giorgi, Ariel Eslava and Facundo Aguerre.[7]

In June 2013, the Basketball Clubs Association forced Bahía Blanca Estudiantes to change its name, therefore it renamed "Bahía Basket".[1] As the club did not have a venue to host its home games, it rented the Osvaldo Casanova Stadium, property of Estudiantes, to remain in the city. Sebastián Ginóbili was hired as head coach while a bunch of players added to the team. Some of them were Lucio Redivo, Gastón Whelan, Martín Ambrosino, Mateo Gaynor, Lisandro Rasio, Matías Nocedal, Diego Gerbaudo, Ivory Clark James and Nicolás Lauría.

Bahía Basket played a series of preseason games in China, a total of 10 matches there.[8]

Facilities

Bahía Basket venue is the "Dow Center" (named for sponsorship reasons), a modern training center that includes 3 training courts and a stadium for 4,000 spectators. The center also has offices, gym, medical ward, videoconferencing room, and even an art center for players. Down Center was thought to become the main training center in Latin America.[2] Dow Center is a 7,500m2 sustainable building inspired on university campus and training facilities of the United States.[9]

Until the Dow Center was inaugurated, the senior team trained at "Polideportivo Norte", built on abandoned sheds. It is currently used for the youth divisions.[2]

All must be started in 1996, when I went to my first training at the University of Temple. I remember it well: I entered the stadium and didn't want to go out. I was astounded... that sense of motivation is what we aim to recreate here. This is what I would like to have experienced before departing to the United States...

— Pepe Sánchez talking about the Dow Center, January 2020 [2]

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Bahía Basket roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Age
PG 0 Paz, Ezequiel 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 18 – (2001-07-20)20 July 2001
SG 2 Tolosa, Facundo 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 18 – (2002-04-12)12 April 2002
PF 6 Lugarini, Bautista 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 19 – (2001-01-31)31 January 2001
SG 8 Marini, Juan Cruz 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 20 – (2000-02-08)8 February 2000
PG 9 Pacheco, Caio 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 21 – (1999-02-22)22 February 1999
PF 11 Chapero, Tomás 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 19 – (2001-06-10)10 June 2001
SG 12 González, Joaquín 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 19 – (2001-01-16)16 January 2001
PF 13 Paulichi, Rafael 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 22 – (1998-05-25)25 May 1998
SG 16 Elías, Federico 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 20 – (1999-09-24)24 September 1999
PF 17 Novaes Souza, Gabriel 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 19 – (2001-02-16)16 February 2001
PF 18 Languas, Pedro 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 22 – (1998-03-16)16 March 1998
PF 20 Martin, Drew 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 26 – (1994-04-26)26 April 1994
SF 22 Ruesga, Fausto 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 19 – (2000-07-18)18 July 2000
PG 23 Weatherington, Travis 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 24 – (1995-11-13)13 November 1995
PF 24 Levy, Jamaal 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 38 – (1982-01-08)8 January 1982
PG 31 Lynch, John 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 27 – (1992-11-15)15 November 1992
Head coach
  • José Luis Pisani
Assistant coach(es)
  • Juan Milito
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured
Updated: 2020-3-14

Notable players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Retired numbers

As Bahía Basket is recognised as a continuity of Estudiantes in the LNB, the club retired the same numbers than its predecessor.

Bahía Basket retired numbers
N° Player Position Tenure Date of retirement
5 Hernán JasenSF2012–18 [note 1]2018 [10]
10 Juan EspilSG2010–12 [note 2]22 February 2013 [11][12]
14 Alberto CabreraPG1961–1984 [note 3]3 October 2004 [13][14]
Notes
  1. It counts only the tenure in the franchise. He also played for Estudiantes in 1996–99
  2. It counts only the tenure in the franchise. He also played for Estudiantes in 1988–92
  3. Although Cabrera did not play for Bahía Basket (he left basketball in 1984), the number 14 is also retired in the franchise.

References
  1. Bahía Blanca Basket, con identidad propia
  2. El Dow Center, el centro de entrenamiento al estilo NBA, Clarín, 20 January 2020
  3. Interview to Pepe Sánchez, 9 December 2009
  4. Calidad NBA, Olé
  5. Pepe Sánchez nos habla del proyecto Weber Bahía Estudiantes by Alejandro Panfil, Spain Sports Network
  6. El albo cambia de nombre on Pick and Roll
  7. Montecchia: "Nunca se termina de aprender"
  8. Bahía Basket se trae 10 victorias de su gira por China
  9. El Dow Center, el revolucionario centro de formación de "Pepe" Sánchez, Ambito Financiero, 5 June 2019
  10. Se suma Jasen on Bahía Plus, 2 September 2018
  11. "Espil vivió su noche soñada" at CanchaLlena.com, 22 February 2013
  12. "Espil tuvo su merecido homenaje en Bahía", Clarín, 23 February 2013
  13. "La 14 inmortal" Pick and Roll, 4 October 2004
  14. Ordenanza Nº 14604, declarando "Sitio de Interés Cultural e Histórico" al Estadio Osvaldo Casanova 8 January 2008
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