By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The special treats of the Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, spill into the first-ever continental Canary Islands derby.
From new promising prospects to upsets, to tremendous athleticism, to top-level basketball in undervalued markets, to building excitement on the road to the next BCL champion, and to the Derbi Canario.
Despite a much higher competition level, the basketball edition of derby falls shy of the collisions between respective teams in football or soccer, a name depending on each available perspective. In any case, it is widely considered one of the greatest sports rivalries in the world, moving from what most uninvolved parties can see as a simple game to the collision of philosophies and more classic features of European derbies, and it is coming to the Champions League on Wednesday. An elite affair in Gran Canaria Arena, Dreamland Gran Canaria and La Laguna Tenerife meet each other outside Spanish competitions for the first time.
The stipulation in Gameday 3 of the Round of 16’s Group L is simple: getting a win in the inaugural Derbi Canario at the continental level. Well, it is also about advancing to the Quarterfinals, and from there competing in a best-of-three series for a ticket to the Final Four in Badalona, and from there looking to win a championship. Both sides are among the strongest title contenders, for sure. But actually getting the job done requires as many wins as possible.
Entering Gameday 3, Tenerife, a two-time BCL champion and the most successful club in league history, is in a familiar position on a 2-0 record and on top of a four-team group. Gran Canaria is tied with Trieste at 1-1, with ERA Nymburk at 0-2. Even after this historic derby, three more games are left, including the reverse Gameday 5 fixture in Santiago Martin Arena on March 11, to decide which team ranks first and earns homecourt advantage in the Quarterfinals, which gets the second seed and advances to the next round to face one of the other three top seeds, and which two are eliminated. So, possibly painting a 3-0 versus 1-2 picture is much different than both sides coming out at 2-1, for the Canary Islands representatives, and the remaining two teams as well.
From the ACB to the Copa del Rey and other Spanish competitions, Tenerife and Gran Canaria are gearing up to extend their rivalry to the European stage. And it will be a hot one in the Canaries.
Here we go again
Tenerife is among the three teams having participated in all ten installments of the BCL since its inception in 2016-17, alongside AEK and Oostende. Over these ten years, a total of 98 clubs have qualified for the Regular Season at least once, including Gran Canaria as a newcomer this season. And the team coached by Jaka Lakovic will be the latest Liga Endesa side to bump into Tenerife in the top-tier club competition of FIBA Europe.
In a total of 17 Champions League games versus other ACB teams over the last ten years, Tenerife, mostly under the guidance of longtime head coach Txus Vidorreta, has secured 11 wins, grabbing victory in ten of the last 13. Some good times, including a championship win, but some painful defeats too.
List of Tenerife’s BCL games against other ACB teams
| Season | Opponent(s) | W-L | |
| 2017-18 | UCAM Murcia | 1-1 | Eliminated in the Round of 16 home-and-away series |
| 2019-20 | Casademont Zaragoza | 0-1 | Eliminated in Quarterfinals single-elimination game |
| 2020-21 | San Pablo Burgos | 1-1 | Qualified as top seed in Round of 16 Group J |
| 2021-22 | BAXI Manresa | 1-0 | Won the championship game |
| 2022-23 | UCAM Murcia and Surne Bilbao | 3-1 | Qualified as top seed in Round of 16 Group L |
| 2022-23 | BAXI Manresa | 2-1 | Won the best-of-three Quarterfinals series |
| 2022-23 | Unicaja | 1-0 | Won the third-place game |
| 2023-24 | Unicaja | 0-1 | Lost the championship game |
| 2024-25 | BAXI Manresa | 2-0 | Qualified as top seed in Round of 16 Group K |
Far from a typical Round of 16 matchup with the vibrant and competitive sporting culture of the Atlantic islands, Tenerife has won its last eight in the stage, despite trailing at halftime in six of those games. So, do not hurry to switch channels at the break, whichever side might be in control.
Domestic to continental
Beyond the 2025-26 BCL season, the current situation in Spain’s Liga Endesa Regular Season is vastly different. Vidorreta’s side has clinched a berth in the midseason Copa del Rey, sitting much higher on the ACB table compared to its rival, which is on a four-game losing streak and 3.5 games over the relegation zone. Nevertheless, a derby win would be brilliant for either club.
Overall, Gran Canaria carries a roster based on a productive backcourt with important experienced players as well. True to the modern reality, the perimeter threat is always key to picking up continental and domestic wins, but has been inconsistent so far this season. Rim protector Kur Kuath is the most important player on the defensive end, with his efforts including 1.7 blocks per contest in his first Champions League campaign.
Complementing the continued leadership of 59-year-old Vidorreta, who has been in charge since 2018, after his first stint from 2015 to 2017, the legendary combination of 42-year-old Marcelinho Huertas and 36-year-old Giorgi Shermadini stands out from Tenerife. This continuity is the description of the team brand and remains the main theme on the floor as well, but the leading stars getting older often make them vulnerable to younger athletic opponents.
Rosters
Dreamland Gran Canaria
1. Lucas Maniema
2. Isaiah Wong
3. Eric Vila
5. Ziga Samar
6. Andrew Albicy
9. Nicolas Brussino
10. Miquel Salvo
12. Carlos Alocen
13. Pierre Pelos
18. Mike Tobey
21. Louis Labeyrie
23. Kur Kuath
30. Kassius Robertson
La Laguna Tenerife
3. Jaime Fernandez
4. Wesley Van Beck
6. Bruno Fitipaldo
9. Marcelinho Huertas
11. Thomas Scrubb
15. Joan Sastre
16. Dylan Bordon
19. Giorgi Shermadini
21. Tim Abromaitis
31. Rokas Giedraitis
33. Hector Alderete
35. Fran Guerra
42. Aaron Doornekamp
The Canary Islands’ identity reaches a continental clash, and it is a can’t-miss game.