Unicaja 2009-10, team profile
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2008-09 RESULTS
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Euroleague
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Regular Season
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8-2
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Top 16
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2-4
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Spanish League
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Regular Season
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24-8
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Playoffs
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Semifinalist
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Cup
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Finalist
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Entering its ninth consecutive Euroleague season, Spanish powerhouse Unicaja has become one of the most consistent and respected basketball organizations on the continent. With a modern structure, a legendary coach, an incredible fan base and a great arena, Unicaja has all the tools to keep challenging for greatness year after year. Basketball fever has been sweeping Malaga for almost two decades worth of sellout crowds - and since Martin Carpena was opened by the turn of the new millennium, its fantastic basketball atmosphere at home games got even better. Unicaja first caught the media’s attention in 1995 when it came within a shot of winning its first Spanish League title. At the time just a few years old, having been formed in a merger of local clubs, Unicaja proved it was ready for bigger things. Its ambition was rewarded in spring of 2001 when the team took home the Korac Cup, the first trophy of any kind in club history. Although a second trophy was a few years away, Unicaja spent the following seasons knocking hard for more chances. It reached the Spanish League finals in 2001-02, advanced to the Euroleague Top 16 in 2002-03, and battled to the domestic semifinal playoffs in 2003-04 to guarantee its Euroleague presence again. Unicaja fell victim to tiebreakers after the 2004-05 regular season and did not reach the Top 16, but soon followed that with a thrilling run to its second trophy ever, the Spanish King's Cup. The next year Unicaja continued to make history, winning its Euroleague regular season group by matching the best record in that phase. At the end of that season, the hard work paid off as the club lifted its first-ever Spanish League title. Home-grown talents and current world champions Berni Rodriguez and Carlos Cabezas add to a list of stars who have proudly worn Unicaja's green uniform, which includes Marcus Brown, Jorge Garbajosa, Sergei Babkov, Nacho Rodriguez, Michael Ansley and Louis Bullock. The team’s bench has hosted coaching greats like Bozidar Maljkovic, Sergio Scariolo and Javier Imbroda. Unicaja’s march to the 2007 Final Four extended its growing success to the Euroleague, and an admirable third-place showing in Athens despite key injuries proved the point again: This club belongs among the elite. It was proven the following season when Unicaja returned to the Euroleague Top 16 and the Spanish League semifinals, knocking off regular season champion Real Madrid in the process. Last season, Unicaja lost the Spanish King's Cup title game in overtime against Tau Ceramica while another loss against Regal FCB in the extra period prevented the team from reaching the Spanish League finals. Always hungry and ambitious, Unicaja hopes to challenge for each and every title, with thousands of fans backing the team through thick and thin.
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