Xavi Pascual era begins as Dubai Basketball look to turn potential into EuroLeague progress

Five days after pushing Real Madrid into overtime in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Basketball will face them again on Thursday evening, this time to get their second EuroLeague season officially underway.

Dubai entered the EuroLeague last year as newcomers and finished 11th, one place outside the play-in positions. They also competed in the ABA League and ended the campaign as champions. They return to both competitions with a deeper squad, greater expectations and one of European basketball’s most decorated coaches, Xavi Pascual.

“I think Dubai did a great job during the previous years and now I'm coming here to take one step further,” Pascual told The National. “This is a continuation of the project. The organisation has a new coach, so logically we are going in the same direction, but with some adjustments. We want to keep growing and take bigger steps in the competition.”

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Pascual, 54, spent eight years in charge of Barcelona during his first spell and won 19 trophies, including four Spanish league titles and the 2010 EuroLeague. He was also named EuroLeague Coach of the Year that season. After leaving Barcelona, he won consecutive Greek championships with Panathinaikos in 2017 and 2018, followed by the VTB League title with Zenit St Petersburg in 2022.

He returned to Barcelona last November, signing a contract until 2028. He guided the club to the Spanish league finals before leaving at the end of the campaign, to the surprise of many. Dubai announced him as their new coach on July 14, on a deal that runs through to 2029.

His decision to leave Barca made headlines in Spain. Pascual told a Spanish radio station he had received several lucrative offers. When The National asked him why he chose Dubai, he said: “We have a great organisation, a great stadium and great players. I'm sure we are going to have a great season.

“At this moment, I'm not thinking at all about anything from the past. I'm thinking about what is happening here. I fit very well with the organisation and with the team, so I feel very good here.”

Pascual has inherited a team that had already proved it could compete with the best, but his appointment clearly demonstrates a shift in ambition, an attempt to push further and progress.

Real Madrid win EuroLeague SuperCup - in pictures

There was evidence of that potential in last week’s EuroLeague SuperCup semi-final against Real Madrid in Abu Dhabi. Dubai dominated the perimeter, led by as many as 16 points, and pushed the 11-time European champions into overtime before losing 98-95. The performance showed how close they can already get to Europe’s elite, while also highlighting the fine margins that decide games at this level.

Pascual’s teams have traditionally been associated with tactical organisation, defensive discipline and control. In Dubai, he wants to retain much of that structure while introducing greater speed in transition. He wants a dynamic team.

“We need high tempo all the time defensively, with great energy and tactical organisation,” he said. “We need time because we are still not exactly where we want to be. We want to be fast in transition and, if there is nothing there, organise our game and play smart offence. But for sure, we want to play at a high tempo.”

He has been provided with a squad that boasts plenty of depth. McKinley Wright IV was one of Dubai's standout performers during their inaugural EuroLeague campaign. In February, he became the first player in the club's history to be named EuroLeague MVP of the Month as Dubai went unbeaten across four games, defeating Olympiacos and Real Madrid at home.

The American guard now looks around at a dressing room strengthened by a strong summer of recruitment and believes Pascual has been given the experienced players required to manage dual EuroLeague and ABA League campaigns.

When asked who is the best player on the Dubai roster, Wright joked: “Besides myself?. I'm just playing.”

He then pointed to Dwayne Bacon as “an elite scorer”, Mfiondu Kabengele for his physical presence around the basket and Dzanan Musa as a player Dubai have yet to see the best of.

“I don't know, I can't just pick one, man,” Wright said.

As for coach Pascual joining Dubai, Wright added: “Xavi is a legendary coach; he's known well around the EuroLeague. Well, around the world.

“We brought in some experience, a lot of guys who've won championships before, whether it's EuroLeague, domestic leagues or even in college. We brought in a lot of experienced guys, a lot of vets who know what it takes to win.”

Dubai Basketball team during practice at Coca-Cola Arena. Antonie Robertson / The National

That depth will prove important as Wright saw the physical demands placed on the squad last season. “We have a deep roster for a reason,” he said. “It's a long season, playing both EuroLeague and ABA League. We're going to need everybody.

“I think it was really important to add multiple pieces at each position that can help us win.”

Jaron Blossomgame is one of them. The American forward arrived after four years with Monaco and revealed that he had come close to working under Pascual earlier in his career.

“It's actually funny that Xavi and I tried to work together a few times in the past, but we could never get it done. Finally, I'm able to play for him,” Blossomgame said.

“He has a lot of experience in the EuroLeague and has coached at a very high level. He's won the championship before, so I think he can instil a lot of his principles and values in this club and transform us into a championship team.”

Tornike Shengelia is one of the players who followed the coach from Barcelona, while long-time assistant Iñigo Zorzano also moved to the UAE.

For Kabengele, the Canadian centre who was named ABA League Finals MVP last season, the coach’s impact has been notable.

“There is a lot of accountability with the new coach; we're trying to establish a culture,” Kabengele said. “Everyone has their own habits and reasons why they got to where they got to, so now our job is to bring it all together.”

Kabengele has been particularly impressed by Pascual’s emphasis on execution, preparation and professionalism. “He's done it all at the highest level, so he's done a really good job of being an example and showing us through training camp how to be that kind of professional.”

A symphony of compliments from some of the best players on the roster, time to see how the coach will mould all that talent into a functioning unit. The season gets underway on Thursday against Real Madrid, the team they lost to only days ago in the SuperCup.

“At the end of the day, we lost the game because of small details. This is basketball,” Pascual reflected. “Against Madrid, you cannot lose concentration even for one second because they punish you.

“We had three very bad minutes in the second quarter and three bad minutes at the beginning of overtime, and that was enough for them to win the game. We need one solid game for 40 minutes.”

The rematch offers the Spaniard an opportunity to iron out those mistakes and better understand their level. Dubai already know they can trouble Madrid, but whether they can sustain that level for an entire game remains to be seen.

After that, the games will come thick and fast. Dubai begin their ABA League title defence against Vienna on Sunday before Barcelona visit Coca-Cola Arena for the second round of the EuroLeague next Tuesday.

Asked whether Dubai can reach the Final Four, Pascual was reluctant to make promises. “Now is not the moment to talk about this. We have to go game by game. That's the most important thing.

“We have to go step by step, improving our game and pushing the team to the limit of what we can achieve,” he said. “Then we will see if that limit is at the same level as our opponents, above them or below them.”

Xavi Pascual era begins as Dubai Basketball look to turn potential into EuroLeague progress

After pushing Real Madrid to overtime in the SuperCup, Dubai face the 11-time champions again as their league campaign begins

Real Madrid win EuroLeague SuperCup - in pictures