A permanent exhibition on the history of Bàsquet Manresa and the achievement of the ACB League 25 years ago opens at the Nou Congost

Tonight the lobby of the Nou Congost pavilion hosted the opening ceremony of a large exhibition that shows the great passion and love for awakening basketball in Manresa, and pays tribute to the successes achieved in a sport that has become a great element of identity, capital and projection of the city.

The exhibition project, which will be installed permanently, has been carried out with the aim of commemorating the historical anniversaries of Manresa basketball, such as the 50 seasons in the top category of the Club Bàsquet Manresa and the 25th anniversary of winning the title of the ACB League and, at the same time, to remember and honor the most relevant people and clubs in the history of basketball in the city.

The opening ceremony was chaired by the mayor of Manresa, Marc Aloy Guardia, the president of Bàsquet Manresa, Albert Cots Sarrate, the councilor for Sports and Health, Anjo Valentí Moll, and the representative of the Organizing Commission of the 25 years of the ACB League, Carles Jódar Jerez.

The celebration was also attended by members of the municipal government, former presidents of Bàsquet Manresa, former players, representatives of the Catalan Basketball Federation and other basketball clubs in the city, and members and collaborators of the 25th Birthday Commission of the ACB League and the board of directors of BAXI Manresa.

An exhibition divided into six thematic axes

The exhibition is distributed into six thematic axes: We didn't know it was impossible; The years we touched the sky; Heroes of all time; Deeds that have made us great; The Congost factor and The Manresa Miracle.

The first part of the exhibition We didn't know it was impossible is dedicated to the great success of the then TDK Manresa, which won the league in 1998, with a team that has become legendary and coached by Luis Casimiro. The second part, under the title The years we touched the sky, is a gloss on the 90s, a glorious era of the entity, in which the Manresa team also won the Copa del Rey.

Heroes of all time is the third part of this exhibition. This is a summary of players and coaches who marked an era in Bàsquet Manresa, such as Magí Suau or Joan Colell in the 60s, and more current players, such as Rafa Martinez or Chima Moneke, who have stood out in recent years.

The fourth part Deeds that have made us great is similar to the previous thematic axis, but on this occasion, instead of highlighting individualities, the focus is on the teams and squads that achieved promotions and titles, or that reached at both state and international finals.

As for the fifth part, it is titled The Congost Factor and is dedicated to the fans who always follow the team both in victories and in difficult moments, highlighting one of the most recent moments of explosion such as the final four of the 2022 Basketball Champions League, which mobilized 5,000 club fans in Bilbao.

And in the sixth and last part, a review of basketball in Manresa from its beginnings is made, such as the first men's game (1929) and the first women's game (1931), and people and clubs that have been history in the city are remembered, such as La Salle, CB Manresa, Bàsquet Femení Manresa or Badia Solé.

Indispensable collaboration

The exhibition was created as a result of the initiative of the previous president of Bàsquet Manresa, Jordi Serracanta Espinalt, and the Commission for the 25 years of the ACB League, chaired by Fernando Peñarrubia, who received the support of the Manresa City Council, which has financed. The content of the exhibition has been prepared by the Manresa journalist residing in Galicia Xavier Prunés Feixas -who was not able to attend the event- with the collaboration of the Organizing Commission of the 25 Years of the ACB League, Joaquim Vert, Joaquim Alberch, Tom Puigmal, Pol Rodríguez, Francesc Canellas and Marc Amposta. The design is from the Bages company E2S.