An evolution of Spanish Coaches at the Final Four

SOPRON (EuroLeague Women) – One of the most striking aspects of EuroLeague Women Final Four 2018 is the presence of a trio of Spanish play-callers.

In the wake of Lucas Mondelo winning the EuroLeague Women 2017 title with Dynamo Kursk, there is only one guarantee when the curtain falls on the action at this current edition in Sopron – the champion coach for the next 12 months will be Spanish once more.

Miguel Mendez of UMMC Ekaterinburg or Roberto Iniguez of Sopron Basket will pick up the baton from Mondelo when one of them lifts the coveted silverware. Indeed, it if is Mendez who is triumphant, it will mean all three Spanish coaches will have a EuroLeague Women title on their resume.

Of course, it hasn't always been this way. The rise and rise of Spanish play-callers at the Final Four has been a relatively recent phenomenon during the last decade or so.

Fittingly, the mutual respect between all three, who are taking their nations' basketball reputation to even greater heights, certainly resonates.

They talk about each other with enthusiasm and while their national identity naturally binds them together, their accomplishments also put them in an elite group of some of the best women’s coaches on the planet.

Interestingly, Iniguez and Mendez went head-to-head back during 2012 in the title game - although the roles were probably reversed. Iniguez was at the helm of Ros Casares and had Maya Moore, among a host of other stellar names.

He climbed to the top of the podium after toppling Mendez and his Rivas Ecopolis side, who had defied all predictions and expectations to ride their way to the Final. Now it could probably be described as a mirror image for them both.

But, for whoever comes out on top on Sunday, it will only continue the skyward trajectory and dominance of Spanish coaches in this great competition.

Spanish Final Four Coaches since 2007

2018: Lucas Mondelo (Kursk); Roberto Iniguez (Sopron); Miguel Martinez Mendez (UMMC)
2017: Lucas Mondelo (Kursk, winners)
2016: Roberto Iniguez (Nadezhda, runners-up);
2015: None
2014: Roberto Iniguez (Fenerbahce, runners-up)
2013: Roberto Iniguez (Fenerbahce, runners-up)
2012: Roberto Iniguez (Ros Casares, winners) & Miguel Martinez Mendez (Rivas, runners-up)
2011: Lucas Mondelo (Avenida, winners)
2010: Isma Cantó (Ros Casares, runners-up), Jose Ignacio Hernández (Wisla, 4th)
2009: Jose Ignacio Hernández (Avenida, runners-up)
2008: None
2007: Manolo Real (Ros Casares, runners-up)

FIBA