Eternal Champion: Introducing Tenerife

After the picture of the Final Four was completed, it was time to introduce Lenovo Tenerife, Hapoel's opponent in the semi-finals.

Coach: Txus Vidorreta

Prominent players: Marcelinho Huertas, Tim Abromaitis, Giorgi Shermadini, Aron Dorenkamp, Bruno Fitipaldo, Sasu Salin, Jaime Fernandez, Leandro Bolmaro

Record in the champions so far: 4-11

The situation in the Spanish league: fourth place, record 8-20

What's the story: With two wins in the Champions League (2017, 2022), one runners-up (2019), and three appearances in the Final Four, it's no wonder that Tenerife is considered a kind of eternal champion in a factory that was established only 7 years ago.

The roots of Tenerife go back to 1939, when the basketball club "Club Base Canaria" was founded. Following financial difficulties and the intervention of local authorities in the Canary Islands, the club was actually re-established under the name "Tenerife", and the name of the team changed according to the sponsors who supported it, from "Caja" through the hotel chain "Ibrostar" to the computer giant "Lenovo" today.

The team in yellow and black has never won the Spanish league championship, but today they are considered one of the strongest teams in the ACB league and are trailing in the table behind three Euroleague teams: Barcelona, Basconia, and Real, and ahead of the fourth Euroleague team, Valencia, from eighth place. Along with the two BCL championships, you can also find two wins in the Intercontinental Championship in Tenerife's trophy cabinet.

This season, Tenerife fielded one of its strongest teams ever, with a skeleton of players who have been running together for several seasons using the same method. For example, Vidorta is the same coach who beat Hapoel in the quarterfinals of the Champions League in 2019. Tim Abromaitis also remained from the same squad.

The Canaries displayed dominance throughout the entire season. The group stage finished first with a record of 2-4 in a house that included Bnei Herzliya, Perishtri, and Ritas Vilna. They finished the Top 16 home stage in first place with a record of 1-5 against Darushpeka, Bilbao, and Murcia. In the quarterfinals, the Spaniards had a little trouble against Manrasa but finally returned to their natural place in the Final Four after a 1-2 victory in the series.