

Victory was already in the bag for Joventut Badalona against Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv in the last few seconds of their enthralling 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinal, hence the hosts were expected to just run the clock down and refrain from shooting on their last possession.
Yet, the home team’s forward Joel Parra broke that rule of thumb as he sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the right corner to make the score 82-74, then turned to jubilant Joventut fans and punched the air in sheer delight.
The act may have rubbed salt into Hapoel’s wounds as the visitors were clearly upset after the game with what they might have seen as a lack of manners, but Parra’s stunt actually epitomized Joventut’s true grit and defiance. The win over Hapoel was another chapter in the illustrious Catalan club’s climb from the brink of extinction, and it stormed back with a vengeance.
The trophy-laden franchise and the only Spanish club alongside Real Madrid never to be relegated from the country’s top basketball division faced dissolution in 2018 due to dire financial problems before its shareholders decided to keep the club afloat after all.
Joventut escaped relegation into the second tier by the skin of its teeth, as a 15th-place finish was the club’s worst-ever in Spain’s ACB League, but it survived and head coach Carles Duran was understandably elated after his team reached the EuroCup semis on Wednesday.
"We played with a lot of heart and character, so now we can dream of reaching the final. Five years ago Joventut was in a bad position for several reasons and now we’re in the EuroCup Semifinals," Duran said courtside after the game.
"It’s a great victory and I hereby want to thank the fans and the club for making it happen," he added at the post-game press conference.
Few would have bet on Joventut making such an impressive recovery after nearly going into administration five years ago, but the club’s die-hard fans got their reward as did the owners for saving a franchise whose past glory commands ultimate respect.
Joventut has four Spanish League titles and eight Copa del Reys to its name, as well as a vast array of European honors. Among them, the 1994 EuroLeague triumph and the 2008 EuroCup title stand out, and Joventut’s smooth run this season has its supporters dreaming of more silverware.
Having finished runners-up in Group A with a 13-5 record, Joventut made home-court advantage count in wins over the London Lions and Hapoel to reach the semis. It now faces the biggest challenge yet – a road game at Group B winner and fellow Spaniards Gran Canaria, who stormed into the last four with a 104-74 home rout of Paris Basketball.
EuroCup debutants Hapoel bowed out fighting after a valiant comeback attempt fell just short, with the visitors briefly taking a 69-70 lead in the fourth quarter as they wiped out a 21-point deficit.
"We knew coming here that Joventut was the favorite after a great season and for all the club’s tradition," Hapoel head coach Danny Franco said at the post-game press conference. "It was the first time for us in the competition and I hope we can finish the season on a high note. We chased the game throughout and we came close, but it wasn’t enough."