Perelló: "HLA Alicante must change their mindset and enjoy again"

Rubén Perelló, the new coach of HLA Alicante, has taken charge of the team with an ambitious goal: to lift HLA Alicante from the bottom of the league, where they currently sit with eight losses in eight games. The coach aims to build bridges and does not foresee a squad overhaul, although there are advanced negotiations and a new point guard with authority could be confirmed in the coming days.

Perelló addressed the media during his presentation, delivering a message of optimism, faith, and unity: "The most important thing now is to change our mindset and enjoy playing basketball again. We must regain confidence in ourselves to be competitive. Hard work and dedication are essential to improve both individually and collectively."

With confidence, alongside president Daniel Adriasola and sports director Asier Alonso, he assured that the key now is "to change our mindset, not dwell on the past" to seek a new dynamic of results: "There are high-level players who must give 150% in their work. They are not at their best because the negative trend makes them see the glass half empty. We can adjust the squad, bring in a player we might be missing, but the priority is to change the mentality, to seek a new style of play." "The club is putting everything into it, and players will arrive to balance some positions," he commented.

Perelló promised "hard work and positive energy" and acknowledged that "it will be a long and difficult journey" as "we need to enjoy again and prove to ourselves that we can compete against everyone." For the new HLA Alicante coach, "it's a challenge and an opportunity" to return to Alicante, and he urged the fans "to support the team from next Sunday" to create a great basketball atmosphere against Zamora.

Apart from the new coach, Lucentum announced last week the signing of forward Mindaugas Kacinas. The Lithuanian arrives in Alicante after playing with the Edmonton Stingers in the Canadian CEBL. With extensive experience in the former LEB Oro, Kacinas played in Ourense during the 23/24 season, averaging 10.6 points and 5 rebounds per game.