CB Canarias

Club Cantera Base 1939 Canarias S.A.D.,^[1] commonly known as CB Canarias and known as La Laguna Tenerife for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. Domestically, the team plays in the top-level league in Spain, the Liga ACB and in European-wide competitions, the team plays in FIBA's Champions League (BCL). Their home arena is the Santiago Martín.

La Laguna Tenerife
Leagues	Liga ACB Champions League
Founded	1939; 85 years ago (1939) (1994; 30 years ago (1994))
History	CB Canarias (1939–1994) CB 1939 Canarias (1994–present)
Arena	Santiago Martín
Capacity	5,100
Location	La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
Team colors	Gold, Black
President	Félix Hernández
Head coach	Txus Vidorreta
Championships	2 Champions League 3 Intercontinental Cup
Website	Official website
Home Away

Canarias became a prominent club on the domestic scene during the 2010s, after securing promotion to the Liga ACB in 2014. Under the FIBA system, Canarias won two BCL championships (in 2017 and 2023) as well as three Intercontinental Cups (2017, 2020, 2023).

History

The team was founded in 1994, after the old CB Canarias club, that huge financial problems at that time, merged with other teams of the Spanish island of Tenerife, to create the new Tenerife Canarias club, which only played two seasons in the Liga EBA competition, at the time when that league was the second tier level of Spanish club basketball.

People who were in disagreement with that merger then created the new CB 1939 Canarias club, which inherited the colors and the logo of the club. In 2012, Iberostar Canarias was promoted to Spain's top-tier level Liga ACB competition, after the team won the championship of the LEB Oro. However, the club couldn't actually promote, due to the club's inability to fulfill the requirements needed to join the league that are requested by the league's organizer, the ACB.^[2] One month later, on 20 July 2012, CB 1939 Canarias finally achieved the league promotion, after Lucentum Alicante's vacated place in the league was granted to CB 1939 Canarias.^[3]

Alejandro Martínez, became the team's head coach in 2003, and he managed to lead the team to multiple league promotions, going up from the LEB Plata (Spanish third tier), to the top-tier level Liga ACB. He resigned from the team's head coaching position in 2015.^[4]

Golden era and international championships

Canarias celebrating winning the 2017 FIBA Intercontinental Cup

In the 2016–17 season, Canarias returned to the European scene after 28 years. On 29 March 2017, Canarias qualified for the 2017 Final Four of FIBA's Basketball Champions League (BCL), which happened 36 years after the club's first league promotion up to Spain's previous top-level competition, the Liga Nacional, in 1981.^[5][6] The 2017 Champions League Final Four was played at Canaria's home arena, the Pabellón Insular Santiago Martín. Canarias won the BCL championship, after beating the Turkish Super League club Banvit in the Final. The championship marked the first major title in the club's history.

On 24 September 2017, Canarias participated in the 2017 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, as the defending champions of the Basketball Champions League. The club won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup title, after beating the defending champions of the FIBA Americas League, the Venezuelan club Guaros de Lara, by a score of 76–71.^[7] Three years later, Canarias also won the 2020 FIBA Intercontinental Cup title, after they defeated the defending champions of the Basketball Champions League, the Italian club Virtus Bologna, by a score of 80–72.^[8]

In March 2020, the club stopped the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.^[9] The following season, the 2020–21 season, was the most successful season in the ACB in the team's history. After finishing third in the regular season, Canarias beat San Pablo Burgos before being eliminated in the semi-finals by Barcelona. In the 2021–22 season, Canarias won their second BCL championship after defeating fellow Spanish team Manresa in the final in Bilbao.^[10]

Sponsorship naming

Partly due to sponsorship reasons, the team has been known by several names over the years:

• Universidad Canarias Pepsi (1970–1975)
• Caja Rural Canarias (1975–1980)
• Cofisa Canarias (1982–1984)
• Lucky Canarias (1984–1985)
• CajaCanarias (1985–1991)
• AutoLaca Canarias (1995–1996)
• Bodegón Juanito Canarias (1996–1998)
• Canarias Yamaha (1998–1999)
• Ciudad de La Laguna (1999–2001)
• Organización Socas Canarias (2001–2010)
• Isla de Tenerife Canarias (2010–2011)
• Iberostar Canarias (2011–2012)
• Iberostar Tenerife (2013–2021)
• Lenovo Tenerife (2021–2024)
• La Laguna Tenerife (2024–present)

Home arena

The Pabellón Insular Santiago Martín, the club's home arena.

CB Canarias 1939 plays its home games at the Pabellón Insular Santiago Martín arena, which is located in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the Spanish island of Tenerife. The arena was opened in 1999, and it has a seating capacity of 5,100 people for basketball games. CB Canarias 1939 has used Pabellón Insular Santiago Martín as its home arena, since 2010.

It has hosted major sporting events, such as the 2017 Basketball Champions League Final Four,^[11] the 2017 FIBA Intercontinental Cup,^[12] the 2018 FIBA Women's World Cup, and the 2020 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Players

See also: Category:CB Canarias players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

La Laguna Tenerife roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Age SG 1 Krämer, David 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 27 – (1997-01-14)14 January 1997 F 2 Kostadinov, Konstantin 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 21 – (2003-03-25)25 March 2003 G 3 Fernández, Jaime 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 31 – (1993-06-04)4 June 1993 G 6 Fitipaldo, Bruno 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 33 – (1991-08-02)2 August 1991 PG 9 Huertas, Marcelo (C) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 41 – (1983-05-25)25 May 1983 SF 11 Scrubb, Thomas 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 33 – (1991-09-26)26 September 1991 C 12 Diop, Ilimane 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 29 – (1995-04-04)4 April 1995 PG 13 Costa, Lluís 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 31 – (1993-02-27)27 February 1993 G/F 15 Sastre, Joan 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 33 – (1991-12-10)10 December 1991 C 19 Shermadini, Giorgi 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in) 35 – (1989-04-02)2 April 1989 PF 21 Abromaitis, Tim 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 35 – (1989-09-17)17 September 1989 C 35 Guerra, Fran 2.14 m (7 ft 0 in) 32 – (1992-12-23)23 December 1992 F 42 Doornekamp, Aaron 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 39 – (1985-12-05)5 December 1985	Head coach Txus Vidorreta Assistant coach(es) Juan Carlos Rivero Nacho Yáñez Juan Manuel Gatti Legend (C) Team captain Injured Roster Transactions Updated: November 8, 2024

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	Fran Guerra †	Giorgi Shermadini	Ilimane Diop †
PF	Aaron Doornekamp	Tim Abromaitis
SF	Thomas Scrubb	Joan Sastre †	Konstantin Kostadinov †
SG	David Krämer	Jaime Fernández †
PG	Marcelo Huertas	Bruno Fitipaldo	Lluís Costa †

Notes: Blue † – homegrown player^[a]; Red * – overseas player^[b]; Green ‡ – youth player^[c]

Head coaches

• Alejandro Martínez: 2003–2015
• Txus Vidorreta: 2015–2017, 2018–present
• Nenad Marković: 2017
• Fotios Katsikaris: 2017–2018

Season by season

Season	Tier	Division	Pos.	W–L	Copa del Rey	Other cups		European competitions
CB Canarias
1974–75	2	2ª División	2nd	14–2
1975–76	2	2ª División	7th	12–2–10
1976–77	2	2ª División	4th	16–1–11
1977–78	2	2ª División	8th	14–2–14				3 Korać Cup	R1	0–2
1978–79	2	1ª División B	5th	12–10
1979–80	2	1ª División B	6th	21–1–8
1980–81	2	1ª División B	3rd	16–1–9
1981–82	1	1ª División	12th	4–2–20	Round of 16
1982–83	2	1ª División B	3rd	20–1–5
1983–84	1	Liga ACB	11th	12–18
1984–85	2	Liga ACB	15th	10–18
1985–86	2	1ª División B	1st	24–4
1986–87	1	Liga ACB	6th	15–18	Quarterfinalist	Copa Príncipe	R16
1987–88	1	Liga ACB	6th	15–18	Quarterfinalist	Copa Príncipe	QF
1988–89	1	Liga ACB	19th	12–29	Round of 16			3 Korać Cup	R2	3–1
1989–90	1	Liga ACB	16th	12–19	First round
1990–91	1	Liga ACB	24th	10–26	Second round
1991–92	2	1ª División	5th	22–22
1992–93	2	1ª División	5th	20–20
1993–94	2	1ª División	3rd	27–11
CB 1939 Canarias
1994–95	4	2ª División	5th	5–7
1995–96	4	2ª División	3rd	22–7
1996–97	4	2ª División	3rd	16–6
1997–98	4	2ª División	1st	23–4
1998–99	3	Liga EBA	4th	19–11
1999–00	3	Liga EBA	3rd	17–9
2000–01	4	Liga EBA	1st	24–7
2001–02	4	Liga EBA	1st	33–4
2002–03	3	LEB 2	10th	13–17
2003–04	3	LEB 2	13th	11–19
2004–05	3	LEB 2	4th	22–16
2005–06	3	LEB 2	14th	13–21
2006–07	3	LEB 2	2nd	35–8		Copa LEB 2	RU
2007–08	2	LEB Oro	7th	17–19
2008–09	2	LEB Oro	13th	15–19
2009–10	2	LEB Oro	5th	26–16
2010–11	2	LEB Oro	7th	20–19
2011–12	2	LEB Oro	1st[d]	26–8		Copa Príncipe	C
2012–13	1	Liga ACB	10th	17–17
2013–14	1	Liga ACB	11th	14–21	Quarterfinalist
2014–15	1	Liga ACB	11th	16–18
2015–16	1	Liga ACB	9th	16–18
2016–17	1	Liga ACB	5th	23–12	Quarterfinalist			3 Champions League	C	15–1–4
2017–18	1	Liga ACB	8th	19–17	Semifinalist	Intercontinental Cup	C	3 Champions League	R16	13–3
2018–19	1	Liga ACB	9th	17–17	Semifinalist			3 Champions League	RU	15–5
2019–20	1	Liga ACB	7th	16–11	Quarterfinalist	Intercontinental Cup	C	3 Champions League	QF	13-5
2020–21	1	Liga ACB	3rd	30–11	Semifinalist	Supercopa	SF	3 Champions League	QF	9-4
2021–22	1	Liga ACB	6th	22–15	Semifinalist	Supercopa	SF	3 Champions League	C	16–3
2022–23	1	Liga ACB	6th	24–12	Runner-up	Intercontinental Cup	C	3 Champions League	3rd	12–5
2023–24	1	Liga ACB	6th	21–15	Semifinalist			3 Champions League	RU	11–6

Honours and awards

Honours

Total titles: 9

National competitions

LEB Oro

• Champions (1): 2011–12

Copa Príncipe de Asturias:

• Champions (1): 2012

Trofeo Gobierno de Canarias

• Champions (2): 2009, 2011

International competitions

Basketball Champions League

• Champions (2): 2016–17,^[13] 2021–22^[10]
  • Runners-up (2): 2018–19, 2023–24
  • Third place (1): 2022–23

FIBA Intercontinental Cup

• Champions (3): 2017,^[7] 2020,^[8] 2023^[14]

Friendly competitions

• Las Palmas, Spain Invitational Game
  • 2018

Individual awards

Liga ACB MVP

• Giorgi Shermadini – 2021

All-Liga ACB First Team

• Giorgi Shermadini – 2020, 2021, 2022
• Marcelo Huertas – 2021, 2022

All-Liga ACB Second Team

• Marcelo Huertas – 2020
• Javier Beirán – 2019

LEB Oro MVP

• Jakim Donaldson – 2009, 2010
• Ricardo Guillén – 2011

All LEB Oro First Team

• Ricardo Guillén – 2011

Notes

1. A homegrown player is a player that played for at least three years before the age of 20 on a Spanish team. In Liga ACB, the team must register at least four homegrown players in rosters of 10–12 players or at least three homegrown players in rosters of 8–9 players. In Champions League, the team must register at least five homegrown players in rosters of 11–12 players or at least four homegrown players in rosters of 10 players.
2. A overseas player is a player from outside EEA, FIBA Europe or ACP states. In Liga ACB, the team may register at most two overseas players. In Champions League, the team did not have any limitations regarding the number of overseas players.
3. In Liga ACB, the team may register under-22 players linked to the youth system.
4. Initially, resigned to promote to Liga ACB but later achieved the vacant berth of CB Lucentum Alicante.

References

1. "Relación de SAD". CSD - Consejo Superior de Deportes (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
2. Comunicado del CB 1939 Canarias CB 1939 Canarias website. 12 June 2012
3. La ACB adquiere la plaza vacante del Lucentum y la asigna al CB Canarias Archived 2019-02-26 at the Wayback Machine ACB.com 20 July 2012
4. "Cambio en el banquillo canarista" (in Spanish). ACB.com. 5 November 2015. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
5. "El Iberostar hace historia y estará en la Final Four de la Champions (61-51)" (in Spanish). ACB.com. 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
6. "Este miércoles se cumplen 36 años del primer ascenso canarista" (in Spanish). ACB.com. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
7. "Iberostar Tenerife crowned 2017 Intercontinental Cup champions". Championsleague.basketball. 24 September 2017.
8. "Iberostar Tenerife crowned FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2020 champions". FIBA.basketball. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
9. El CB Canarias se detiene por el coronavirus elDiario.es, 13 March 2020. Accessed 13 July 2020. (in Spanish)
10. "Lenovo Tenerife crowned champions of Season Six". FIBA.basketball. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
11. "Tenerife to host Basketball Champions League Final Four". BasketballCL.com. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
12. "Iberostar Tenerife to host Guaros de Lara in FIBA Intercontinental Cup". ChampionsLeague.basketball. 25 August 2017.
13. "Iberostar Tenerife crowned inaugural Basketball Champions League winners". BasketballCL.com. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
14. "Home, sweet home: Lenovo Tenerife win third FIBA Intercontinental Cup in as many Finals". FIBA.basketball. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

External links

• Iberostar Tenerife official website at CBCanarias.net (in Spanish)
• Iberostar Tenerife at ChampionsLeague.Basketball
• Iberostar Tenerife at Eurobasket.com
• Iberostar Tenerife at ACB.com (in Spanish)
• Iberostar Tenerife at ACB.com (archive) (in Spanish)