2008-09 Club Profile: Kalise Gran Canaria
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 Kalise Gran Canaria has had a scenic voyage as it established itself as one of the top clubs in the ULEB Cup and now it is ready to continue this growth with the Eurocup. Located in the capital of the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa, Gran Canaria faces long trips every week whether in European competitions or the Spanish League.
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Kalise Gran Canaria Roster 2008-09
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| Name |
Pos.
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Height
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| Melvin Sanders |
F
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2.03
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| Daniel Kickert |
C
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2.08
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| Carl English |
G
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1.92
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| Jim Moran |
F
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2.00
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| Marcus Norris |
G
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1.85
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| Sitapha Savane |
F
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2.02
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| Joel Freeland |
F
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2.08
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| Mario Fernandez |
G
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1.97
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| Josh Fisher |
G
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1.89
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| Albert Moncasi |
C
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2.10
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| Guillermo Jorge |
G
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1.85
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| James Augustine |
C
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2.08
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| Salva Maldonado |
Head Coach
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With its recent success, however, its opponents are the ones that usually wind up suffering. Its 22-2 home record in four ULEB Cup seasons says it all. Gran Canaria reached the Spanish League playoffs in five consecutive seasons and even though it finished ninth this year, it still managed to secure a Eurocup spot.
This is a considerable accomplishment for a club that wasn't even a fixture in Spain's first division before 1995. The Gran Canaria Basketball Club was founded in 1963 and for more than two decades competed exclusively in the second division. Even after reaching the top division in 1985, the club went in and out of the Spanish League three times in the next 10 years before gaining a foothold for good in 1995-96. Gran Canaria reached its first Spanish League playoff in 2000 and played in the Korac Cup in 2001. Gran Canaria finished fifth in the Spanish League in 2003, allowing the team to make its ULEB Cup debut the following season. The team went undefeated at home in the ULEB Cup but bowed out of the playoffs to finalist Real Madrid in the eighthfinals. In Spain, Gran Canaria had a seventh-place conclusion in 2003-04. The team could not reach the ULEB Cup elimination rounds in 2005 but once again made the Spanish League playoffs after yet another fantastic season. In 2007, Gran Canaria made it to the ULEB Cup second phase but lost against FMP in the eighthfinals, while it was one win away from reaching the Spanish League semifinals. Now Gran Canaria returns to the second European competition for the fifth time in six seasons, this time from the qualifying round, knowing that experience is now far from being a problem.
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Eurocupbasketball.com
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