The club from Lérida have yet to win at Príncipe Felipe after visiting the arena five times in their history, both as the current Ilerna Lleida in the ACB and as the former Lleida Bàsquet in the old LEB Oro, which disappeared in 2012 because of financial problems.
Gerard Encuentra's side made their top-flight debut at Príncipe Felipe in 2024. Photo: ACB Photo/Esther Casas
In the two seasons the current club have spent in the top flight, they have lost on both occasions they have played in Zaragoza. Indeed, in their top-flight debut, they faced Porfirio Fisac's players in the opening round of the 24-25 season, with the rojillos winning 101-91. Dubljevic stood out in that game with 22 points, alongside AJ Slaughter, who scored 15, in one of the few games in which the shooting guard made an impact on the court, coincidentally on his official debut.
Last season, the win over the team from Lérida was crucial (107-91), as they barely added any victories throughout the campaign. Joan Plaza's side played one of their best games under the Catalan coach, while Devin Robinson put on a spectacular performance with 27 points and Spissu already showed signs of how important he would become, finishing with 18. It is striking that the rojillo team surpassed 100 points in both games and that their offensive output was so impressive on both occasions, given that neither squad was known for it.
IT ALL STARTED IN THE LEB
In 2006, with Alfred Julbe in charge, the Zaragoza team were aiming for promotion to the top flight, and one of their rivals in the division was the now-defunct Bàsquet Lleida. In February that year, they met at Príncipe Felipe (77-64). William Keys, with 14 points, and Matías Lescano led the rojillos to victory in pursuit of a promotion that ultimately eluded them after they lost to CB Murcia in the playoffs.
The following year, a rookie coach named Chus Mateo took over from Julbe. The Aragonese side won 72-66 thanks to an outstanding Heshimu Evans, who scored 18 points to secure their seventh victory of the campaign after a poor run of results.
In 2007-2008, the year of their penultimate promotion to the top flight, Curro Segura remained at the helm. During his players' impressive run in the LEB that season, the team from Lérida were heavily beaten (81-58). Paolo Quinteros was outstanding with 22 points, while Darren Phillip added 17 to his performance.
The tradition began 20 years ago, and this new season offers an opportunity to extend it for another year, with the added incentive of this new roster giving its fans their first victory at Príncipe Felipe.
