Ecuadorian basketball evolves with a team that renews the country

IBARRA (Ecuador) – The organization of one of the FIBA South American Basketball League 2019 (LSB, for its Spanish acronym) groups is one of the great moments in the year for the Ecuadorian Basketball Federation (FEB) as they will host some of the best teams of the LSB. From October 1 to 3 the international the international tournament takes place at the Luis Leoro Franco Coliseum in Ibarra. That day, Ecuador is represented by Piratas de los Lagos, a club established in 2016 and that's already leaving its mark.

This is the second time that Piratas appears at the FIBA South American Basketball League. This young, three-year-old club became an important franchise in Ecuador's basketball.

Argentine coach Luciano Martínez was focused, ever since he arrived at Ecuador, to build a basketball project. Already in the 2018/19 season, he was appointed head coach and, with Paúl Cano, one of the project creators, he's working toward building the structure of a club that's working from the ground up, including all categories – something unusual in Ecuador.

The coach also works with all national teams in the country to forward growth and results in the future. The Piratas project arises from the coach's interest in reinforcing formative categories and fostering the development of basketball in Ecuador’s children.

“We started with almost 70 children practicing basketball and now we have 300 in the process in just one year. This growth is due to the commitment of the adult team, the vision of the directives of a club that's already played for three seasons, including two FIBA South American Basketball League appearances. There’s been a great positive response to the participation on youth basketball,” said Martínez to FIBA.basketball.

In 2018, Piratas participated in their first FIBA South American Basketball League, not with the intention of having a high-budget and competitive team in these circumstances, but with the idea of having an objective in front and taking steps forward in accordance to their budget.

“This year we have a better team built and we didn't have the logistical disaster of the previous competition. Players were selected according to the franchise. We selected three foreign players with the skills for the level, so the competition sees a team with an increasingly better performance than last year’s, which was simply at a participation level," the coach assured.

Being hosts of the FIBA South American Basketball League isn't just by chance: the FEB expects there to be more continental and international competitions that can take place in Ecuadorian lands and that the development of children's basketball in the country increases. Ibarra is an example of this, because they have a lot of fans, it's a venue visited by many people and become interested in basketball.

The five from the province of Imbabura will represent Ecuador at the event that welcomes clubs from Bolivia, Colombia and Paraguay.

“The organization's goal is to cover all the teams’ needs so that they have an excellent stay, which is important for the future of other competitions in Ecuador. We built the team according to the people that has committed to the project since the previous season,” said Martínez, who pointed out that "there's a more serious commitment by the teams to invest in strong squads and to elevate the level of this South American League. We need to be aware of that and I believe we're on the right path.”

Club president Carlos Guevara stated that for this edition, general entrance won't cost more than five dollars, and preferential sections won’t exceed 10 dollars. The idea is to attract more people and to fill the Coliseum with fans.

In 2012, when Club Mavort played as locals in Ibarra, precisely in the Luis Leoro Franco Coliseum, fans from Imbabura were able to witness good basketball. In that opportunity, squads from Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and hosts Ecuador played in Ibarra.

Seven years later, the FIBA South American Basketball League came back to the Ecuadorian nation, but this time with their own representation, Club Piratas de los Lagos. They are here to stay, to bolster the growth of basketball, and to leave their mark in the world.

The FEB, as the rest of national federations, feels that this is the path that their all clubs should take. Friendly games in youth categories, the example set by adult categories, and the experiences along the way will build the future of their country's basketball.

FIBA