CB Estudiantes


Club Baloncesto Estudiantes, S.A.D., known simply as Estu and as Movistar Estudiantes for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball team based in the city of Madrid, Spain. It is a member of the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto. Founded in 1948, it is one of the most recognized basketball teams in Spain.
Some of its achievements include winning three Spanish Cups and reaching the ACB Finals in 2004. The club is also particularly famous and highly regarded for its renowned youth programme that has produced many Spanish and internationals talents over the years such as Alberto Herreros, Nacho Azofra, Aíto García Reneses, José Miguel Antúnez, Jesús Codina, José Sagi-Vela, Gonzalo Sagi-Vela, Fernando Martín, Alfonso Reyes, Felipe Reyes, Carlos Jiménez, Fran Guerra, Sergio Rodríguez, Iñaki de Miguel, Javier Beirán, Pepu Hernández, Carlos Suárez, Darío Brizuela, Jaime Fernández, Daniel Clark, Jayson Granger, Sebas Saiz or Juancho Hernangómez.

History

The club Estudiantes was founded in April 1948 by a group of students of a public preparatory school in Madrid to form a team to practice sport during the school recesses. Mr. Antonio Magariños, Professor of Latin and head of studies of the high school, was the first president of the club. It held the position until 1964. From 1949 it has played in the maximum category of the Spanish basketball.
By the time when the first Spanish-wide season-long championship was organized in 1955, by the Spanish Basketball Association, it was one of the six clubs participating in that tournament, as the second best team from the Province of Madrid. Until 2021, it had always participated in the premier Spanish basketball league along with Real [Madrid Baloncesto|Real Madrid] and Joventut. It was also one of two only Spanish basketball clubs with teams both at the top male and female Spanish championships.
In May 1963, Estudiantes won their first trophy, the Spanish Cup, against Real Madrid. In April 1986, after several decades without sporting success, Estudiantes won their first Copa [Príncipe de Asturias ACB|Copa Príncipe de Asturias] against Granollers. The 1990s would be the golden age of the college club. In April 1992, a month after winning his 1992 [Copa del Rey de Baloncesto|second Spanish Cup] against CAI Zaragoza, Estudiantes reached the 1992 [EuroLeague Final Four] in Istanbul, finishing in 4th place. It was his Annus mirabilis. In March 1999, the team played his only European final, in the 1998–99 Korać Cup, by defeated by FC Barcelona. In January 2000, Estu won his third Spanish Cup against Valencia, the last one until today. In the 2003–04 ACB season, it reached the Spanish ACB League finals, where they could not win against FC Barcelona.
In May 2012, after several irregular seasons, marked by a bad economic situation, Estudiantes was relegated for the first time in its history from the top tier of Spanish basketball, but remained in the league because LEB Oro champion CB 1939 Canarias didn't present the required documentation and money. In May 2016, again, the team was relegated, but remained in the ACB because champion Palencia Baloncesto didn't present the required documentation and money. Finally, after several relatively stable years, the team's relegation was completed during the coronavirus pandemic in May 2021. Since then, Estu remains in LEB Oro, fighting for promotion and returning to the ACB. Even so, during this negative period, Estudiantes has managed to expand their trophy collection, winning the Copa Princesa de Asturias twice more against Granada and Básquet Coruña.

Sponsorship naming

Along the years CB Estudiantes has had several sponsorship names:

Home arenas

Rivalries

Estudiantes has a rivalry with Real Madrid. Both teams meet in the Madrid basketball derby. Since 2011, both teams currently share their home arena, the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid.
Until 2021, Estudiantes and Real Madrid, along with Joventut, were the only teams that had played all the seasons in the top tier. However, Estudiantes was relegated to LEB Oro after finishing 18th in the 2020–21 ACB season.

Players

Basketball Hall of Famers

Notable players

Head coach

Presidents

  • Antonio Magariños: 1948–1964
  • Anselmo López: 1964
  • José Hermida: 1964–1971
  • Pedro Dellmans: 1971–1983
  • Juan Francisco Moneo: 1983–1998
  • Alejandro González Varona: 1998–2004
  • Juan Francisco García: 2004–2005, 2008–2014
  • Fernando Bermúdez: 2005–2008
  • Javier Tejedor: 2008
  • Fernando Galindo: 2014–2022
  • Ignacio Triana: 2022–present

Honours

Domestic competitions

European competitions

Other competitions

FIBA International Christmas Tournament Torneo Comunidad de Madrid Albacete, Spain Invitational Game
  • '''Torneo Ciudad de Getafe'''

Individual awards

Spanish Cup MVP
ACB Rising Star
ACB Slam Dunk Champion
ACB Three Point Shootout Champion
All-ACB First Team
Spanish Princess' Cup MVP
Spain Cup MVP

Women's team

CB Estudiantes has also a women's team which was founded in 1989 and played during several seasons in Liga Femenina, the Spanish women's basketball top tier. It currently plays in Liga Femenina.