Basketball | Women’s Endesa League
The coach who achieved a historic promotion last season was dismissed on Sunday night despite his victory against Tenerife
A completely surprising decision was taken by the sports management of Jairis de Alcantarilla, with the endorsement of its board of directors, last Sunday night. Hours earlier, that same day, his team had won in front of his fans his third game of seven possible in his debut season in the highest national category, the Endesa Women’s League, to mark distance with a relegation in which he was a little more muddy the Clarinos from Tenerife, victim of the aurinegras that same morning at the Fausto Vicent.
However, Lucas Fernández was dismissed. An almost unprecedented decision, since the coach was left without a job after, that same day, winning a game. Jairis, recently promoted, is only two victories away from the leadership, which is shared by Casademont Zaragoza and Perfumerías Avenida de Salamanca (visitor to Fausto Vicent this coming Saturday at 6:00 p.m.), the same distance that marks the well of the classification. Two above and two below, short distance in both cases, but natural when there are only seven days of competition.
The three future days of break after the duel against Perfumerías, the key in a “weighed and valued” decision according to the club
However, the sports management headed by Andrés Medina considered a change on the bench appropriate. Lucas Fernández, who won the 14 games he directed as coach of the sewers in the Women’s League 2 to lead the historic promotion, leaves his position to Eric Surís (Girona, 1982), announced the morning after the dismissal of his predecessor . “It is a weighed and valued decision”, comments Medina, who values “the moment after the game against Tenerife as the right one”. And it is that after this week’s game against the Salamanca, three weeks will pass until the next duel of Jairis that will be taken as a mini preseason with Surís. Later, he will return to the league with a multitude of days during the week.
a good track record
Champion of the Women’s League and Super Cup in 2019 with Girona, he was a prophet in his land, also achieving two league runners-up and another two in the Queen’s Cup, in addition to a EuroCup semifinal. Currently free after leaving Russia’s Nadezhda last year for family reasons, Surís is also the Spanish national team coach at the under-23 level.
With his incorporation, at Jairis «we don’t know if we will have success in the future, but we do know that we are looking at the long term; It is going to give us other things and we are going to lay the foundations to continue growing and for the project to continue”, Medina settled. Salva Costa, president, supports the decision “for the good of the club.”
“I didn’t expect it, it was a surprise”, recognizes the Ciudad Real coach
Lucas Fernández (Calzada de Calatrava, 1978), arrived in Alcantarilla in the middle of last February to replace Víctor Verdú, whom he wanted to include in the promotion photo after leaving the team due to health problems. He won all 14 of his matches until moving up a category. “I didn’t make any baskets, I came to a team that was already in a very good winning dynamic,” acknowledges the coach, taking credit away.
After beating Tenerife and with three wins in seven games in the debut in the top flight, Fernández acknowledges that “I did not expect the dismissal, not at all, it has been a surprise for everyone.” The coach from La Mancha, who considers that the team “was working well and within its possibilities”, is the first surprised at his premature dismissal and at having a substitute only a few hours later.
«This morning (yesterday) I had the opportunity to say goodbye to the players who, beyond the personal relationship I have with them, are great people and committed professionals who will continue working to leave Jairis as high as possible », Fernandez commented to LAVERDAD.
Family and training, is what follows for Fernández: «I return home with my wife and my son; Now it’s time to prepare as a coach to continue improving in line with what current professional basketball demands.
In his appearance, President Costa showed “gratitude to Lucas Fernández for his work, tenacity and involvement from day one.” The Manchego coach will forever remain as the one who achieved “promotion to the Endesa League, the greatest thing we have,” he says.
#Surís #relieves #Fernández #Jairis #seeks #sporting #change