A new edition of the highest category of Argentine basketball is about to begin, in one of the most prestigious tournaments in Latin America. With the same format as the previous season, the matches will be broadcast by Basquet Pass, TyC Sports, TyC Sports Play, DSports and DGO.
Atenas and Boca will be in charge of opening the new season this Monday. The historic club from Córdoba returns to the category to face the current champion of the competition. The match will be at 10:10 p.m. at the Propiedades Pretensa Atenas stadium, the new home of Atenas with capacity for 3,500 people.
The defending champion, Boca, aims to continue at the top after its consecration last season. With a top-ranked squad and the renewal of its MVP, José Vildoza, Xeneize will seek to dominate the competition and the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA). The team has also ensured the continuity of key figures such as Sebastián Vega and Juan Martín Guerrero, in addition to adding important reinforcements such as Marcos Delía, Facundo Piñero, Andrés Ibargüen, Martín Cuello and Thomas Cooper. Gonzalo Pérez will continue to lead the team as coach.
For its part, Atenas returns to the National League after an excellent campaign in the Argentine League, where he was crowned champion against Racing de Chivilcoy. The team maintains a large part of its squad, with names such as Lucas Arn, Nicolás Zurschmitten and José Montero, as well as new additions such as Manuel Buendía and Antoni Vincens. Under the technical direction of Gustavo Peirone, the Greek will seek to regain his place among the greats.
But Boca and Atenas are not the only candidates. Teams like Quimsa, Instituto, San Martín and Obras have also been reinforced with renowned players and aspire to be protagonists. The transfer market has brought back prominent figures such as Fabián Ramírez Barrios and Nicolás Aguirre, while Marcos Mata and Leonel Schattmann, champions with Boca, will now wear the Obras shirt.
Quimsa, the champion of America, began its season in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup and he has maintained the base of his team, although he will suffer the significant losses of Brandon Robinson and Tayavek Gallizzi. Instituto, runner-up last season, has also maintained its base and has been reinforced with players like Tomás Monacchi and Alex Negrete, while San Martín aims to fight for the top positions with its renewed squad.
In addition to the local competition, several Argentine teams will have a double challenge this year. Boca, Instituto and Quimsa will participate in the BCLA, while Obras, Olympic and San Lorenzo will seek glory in the South American League.
The format of the season will be the same: 38 games in the regular phase, with a first and second round of 19 games. The top 12 teams will advance to the playoffs, with the top 4 teams directly to the quarterfinals. The finals, the best of 7 games, will be played between June and July.
With a tournament full of emotion and talent, The National League promises to be, once again, one of the most exciting events in continental basketball.