The club: Pamesa Valencia
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 There is no doubt about when exactly Spain's third-largest city, Valencia, reached its basketball peak. The big moment came in 2003, when Pamesa Valencia was crowned the very first ULEB Cup champion. It was quite a feat for a club that was founded rather recently, in 1986. Pamesa reached the Spanish League first division quickly, debuting in 1988, but after several years of holding steady in the middle of the table, was relegated in 1995 to the second division. Pamesa needed only one season to turn its fortunes around and quickly settle among the most ambitious of Spanish League clubs. The 1997-98 campaign brought the team its first major success, the Spanish King's Cup title, with homegrown talents such as Nacho Rodilla and Victor Luengo backing star Aaron Swinson as Pamesa beat Joventut in epic fashion. Soon enough, Pamesa became a regular in the domestic playoffs, though for four years it could not break into the semifinals. In Europe, Pamesa survived four elimination rounds to reach the 1999 Saporta Cup final, led by Bernard Hopkins, Rod Sellers and Rodilla, though Benetton Treviso took that title with a 64-60 final victory. Pamesa returned to the Saporta Cup final in 2002 with Hopkins, Rodilla and Derrick Alston playing stellar roles, but lost this time to Montepaschi Siena, 71-81. After knocking on the door to success for years, Pamesa knocked it down in 2002-03 after signing Fabricio Oberto, Dejan Tomasevic and Alejandro Montecchia. First came the ULEB Cup title, as Tomasevic claimed MVP honors while Pamesa swept Krka Novo Mesto in the finals. Then, Pamesa roared all the way to the Spanish League finals. Though unable to stop Euroleague champ Barcelona for the domestic title that year, Pamesa's season ended with everyone knowing that a new basketball capital had been discovered: Valencia. Momentum and excitement marked the 2003-04 season, as Pamesa made it to the  Euroleague Top 16 and fell just a win short of reaching the Final Four as Antoine Rigaudeau and Demos Dikoudis joined Tomasevic and Oberto. The club returned to the ULEB Cup in 2004-05 and reached the semifinals before losing on points difference to eventual champs Lietuvos Rytas despite a great season by team star Igor Rakocevic. A Spanish King's Cup final appearance in 2006 has highlighted the last couple of years. This season, Pamesa returned to the ULEB Cup with a rock-solid roster including Shammond Williams, Dejan Milojevic and Ruben Douglas, MVP of the 2006 ULEB Cup Final for Dynamo Moscow. Pamesa survived a tough regular season group before downing Panionios and Zadar in the elimination rounds, in both cases overcoming first-leg deficits with solid victories at home. With a deep mix of experience and young talent, plus plenty devoted fans who travel around the continent to support their team, Pamesa's future - both immediate and long-term - looks better than ever. At the Final Eight in Turin, Pamesa's goal will be to complete a full circle in the competition it helped raise to fame by trying to become the first two-time ULEB Cup champion!
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ULEBCup.com
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