The separation from Alba Berlin and Head Coach Gonzalez came at an unexpected time despite the continuing failure. And yet it remains the right decision to put new impulses towards the end of the season. By Lukas Witte
More defeats than victories and a twelfth place in the Bundesliga, the last last in the Euroleague and in the cup ended in the quarter-finals-this is the historically bad record of eleven-fold German basketball champion Alba Berlin before the last third of the season.
Little is surprising that sooner or later the trainer has to pack the suitcases with a continuing sporting crisis. Many teams would probably have pulled the ripcord much earlier. And yet came that Separation from Israel Gonzalez unexpectedly at the present time.
Alba Berlin releases coach Israel González – Pedro Calles
In the end of the season, Alba Berlin puts a new impulse in the coaching position: Israel González has to go, Pedro Calles takes over. The association reacts to the weak interim balance. González ‘era in Berlin ends after almost eight years.more
Discharge actually seemed off the table
On the one hand, Alba had just stabilized a little again. After three victories in a row there was recently one Defeat in Ulmin which the Berliners sold expensive and at least forced the current leader to overtime. You can live quite well in the current situation, especially since it is one of the best phases of the team of the entire season.
On the other hand, sports director Himar Ojeda had never tired to strengthen his back to his long -time friend Gonzalez and to give no doubt that the right coach for the team is.
Even at the beginning of the year his current successor Pedro Calles Ojeda still made it clear – at that time as an assistant trainer – and so that everyone was festival from an upcoming change of coach: “We believe in Israel and his work as our head coach. (…) We also want to continue working with him beyond summer.”
Gonzalez has to go eleven game days before the end of the season. Probably because Ojeda also had to admit that the long -time coach (290 games as head coach at Alba, almost as many as an assistant coach) would no longer succeed.
A (too) large legacy
Gonzalez came to Berlin in 2017 and initially worked as an assistant coach under the great Alejandro “Aito” Garcia Reneses. The coach with the sonorous name has a special place in the heart of the Alba fans to this day, after all he formed one of the most successful teams in club history and won with these two championships in a row and a cup victory, and he also led the club in the Eurocup 2019 to a European final.
Garcia shaped an unpredictable, unconventional and free style of play on the floor. Many players benefited from this and made an impressive development. This made Berlin attractive for big talents across Europe – not because of the money, but to be able to play under the Spaniard.
When Gonzalez then entered his teacher’s great footsteps in 2021, it seemed to go on seamlessly. Immediately in the first season, he managed the double of the championship and trophy. In retrospect, however, you have to ask yourself how much he still benefited from the preparatory work of Aitos. After all, the last title for Alba should remain.
Missing consistency, no development and Injury badge
Unlike his predecessor, Gonzalez did not succeed after major upheavals in the squad to ensure consistency. Again and again there were extreme slumps in performance – sometimes from day to day, sometimes within a single game. Gonzalez’s in-game coaching can also be held responsible for the latter. Again and again he was criticized for questionable rotations, too late timeouts and strange tactical decisions in key moments.
In addition, Alba recently lost the style that had led to success during the Golden era Aitos. Instead of freely and detached, the Berliners recently tangled and forced them, there was no clear philosophy of the game. Even large individual development jumps from the professionals failed to materialize. This made it more difficult for sports director Ojeda to attract promising basketball players to the Spree.
The fact that it culminated in this historically weak season is certainly also due to the big bad luck. For months, Gonzalez had to do without service providers again and again, almost never had access to the entire player potential.
An unusual advantage
And yet this cannot be an excuse for the fundamental development. One thing is clear: With the current squad, Alba would rank under every coach at the end of the table of the Euroleague. For more, the wallet is simply not big enough. But it can hardly be explained that the playoffs could be missed for the first time in the history of the club in the Bundesliga. After all, the Berliners still have the officially second highest budget in the league.
So now it should judge Pedro Calles. He has been part of the coaching staff since January and is now moving up into the chief role. For him, she is not an unknown, before his time at Alba the Spaniard worked as a head coach for six years, but most recently had to start a weak start of the season with league competitor Oldenburg.
The fact that he then took a step back and “only” came to Berlin as an assistant coach was a very unusual decision on both sides. Now exactly that could be a great advantage. After all, he already knows the team and structures, no longer has to settle up and may quickly give the necessary impulses.
Playoffs further within reach
The signs are at least not bad for calles. There is still enough time to lead Alba into the playoffs. In the narrow midfield of the Bundesliga, a few victories are probably enough in the remaining eleven games to make the necessary leap in the table. In addition, Alba has already had the big chunks behind, in the rest of the program many are waiting for supposedly feasible opponents. And unlike its predecessor, Calles can build on a reasonably fit and well -coordinated team at the start.
He gives his premiere in the new office on Thursday evening directly on the large stage of the European premier class. Even if there is not much to get in the Euroleague for Alba, it is a good chance to present a new manuscript to the local Berlin audience.
Sending: The Day, 03/12/2025, 7:15 p.m.
