The Spaniard once won the double with the Berliners, but the descent this season now costs him the job.
After almost four years, Alba Berlin separated from head coach Israel González before the final phase of a disappointing season.
The previous assistant coach Pedro Calles will take over the post of his Spanish compatriot at the club from the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the former serial champion announced on Wednesday.
Calles (left) replaces González
“This decision was difficult for us,” said sports director Himar Ojeda about separation. Because of the “lack of sporting development”, those responsible “came to the conviction that we do not make the best of our possibilities in this constellation and that we have to put new impulses”.
González won Double – now he has to go
González had initially worked as an assistant under Aíto Garcia Reneses in Berlin since 2017, and the 50-year-old inherited the Spanish successful coach in the 2021/22 season. Under González ‘Alba won the double of the championship and trophy, since then there has been no title win.
The previous course of the season is more than sobering. In the Bundesliga, the Berliners are only twelfth and have to worry about the playoff feed, in the Euroleague this train for the bottom of the table has already driven out with four wins from 28 games.
Calles since January at Alba Berlin
An experienced BBL trainer is now taking over in Calles. The 41-year-old has been working in Germany since 2012. From the Artland Dragons, Calles went to Rasta Vechta (2012), from there via the Hamburg Towers (2020) to Oldenburg (2022).
At the EWE Baskets, Calles had to go in November, in January he joined Alba and signed until 2027.
“With Pedro Calles, we have a proven expert who has been able to settle in with us in the past few months. Now we look ahead and all have to use the remaining games together to fight for the best possible placement at the end of the BBL main round, ”said Ojeda.