According to the Basque coach, during a team meeting there had been too much talk about what happened last season, and Guillem Vives raised the need to change the narrative. "We are new people, fresh faces. We did not experience last year, we do not want it and we are not interested in it," explained the coach, who conveyed the new captain's message about Casademont's agonizing and miraculous escape in the final stretch of the previous campaign.
"We have imposed a fine. Every time something from last year is discussed within the team, there is a fine," García de Vitoria said. The unusual internal rule reflects the extent to which the Aragonese side, which "does not carry that burden in this respect," wants to turn the page after a season marked by suffering and face a new ACB campaign, which begins this coming Sunday in Tenerife, without the pressure of what happened months ago.
A NEW YEAR
In fact, the red-and-black club has sought to underline that change since the beginning of the summer with a major overhaul of its roster. Casademont has brought in eight new players this summer in a revolution intended to build a different team and avoid repeating the mistakes that forced the Aragonese side to suffer until the final day of last season. In addition, it comes in a special year for the club, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the aim of restoring excitement and looking forward again.
In this way, García de Vitoria believes that this new mentality was already beginning to show in the most recent match against UCAM Murcia, in which Casademont reconnected with its fans before the start of the competition. "I saw a team that connected, a team that fought through difficult moments, that refused to be pushed around, and that, when there were two good plays, connected with the stands. That is what I want," the Basque coach said about the ability to "create that identity of being a team that enjoys things together."
