Sito Alonso: The Man Who Keeps Breaking Barcelona's Heart

UCAM Murcia head into their Copa del Rey quarter-final against Barcelona with a coach who seems to have some sort of supernatural hold over the Blaugrana — and the stats back that up completely.

Third Time at the Party

This is UCAM Murcia’s third Copa del Rey in five seasons, and Sito Alonso has been in the dugout for all three of them. That alone tells you something about what he’s built down in Murcia — a club that was staring down the barrel of relegation when he rocked up, and is now one of the most compelling sides in Spanish basketball.

The transformation has been proper. He steadied the ship when things looked genuinely bleak, and now they’re a team that nobody fancies playing in knockout basketball.

Barça’s Kryptonite

Here’s where it gets interesting. Sito was actually sacked by Barcelona back in February 2018 — a few weeks before they went on to win the Copa under Pesic. Bit of a sore one, that. But rather than sulk about it, the man’s gone and made a habit of doing them over.

Since taking charge at Murcia, UCAM have beaten Barcelona five times — in 2018/19, 2020/21, 2023/24, and both league meetings this season. That last bit is the real headline: for the first time ever, Murcia have beaten Barça home and away in the same campaign.

• Away win (first leg): 78-81 at the Palau, with Murcia leading by 21 at one point
• Home win (second leg): A stunning comeback from 16 down, sealed by a Toni Nakic three-pointer at the death

That second one, with Xavi Pascual now in charge and Barça close to full strength, was the sort of result that makes you do a double-take.

Copa History Between the Two

They’ve been here before in the cup. Back in 2022 in Granada, Murcia gave Barcelona an absolute dog of a game in the semis — leading at one point in the third quarter before Laprovittola and Calathes dragged the Blaugrana over the line, 103-90. Murcia were knackered by that point, but Barça still had to earn every single point.

Given what’s happened since, you’d back this one to go right down to the wire.

Pascual’s Copa Curse

There’s one more layer to this. The last time Xavi Pascual managed Barcelona in the Copa del Rey — A Coruña, 2016 — they went out in the first round to Bilbao Basket. The coach who put them out? Sito Alonso. Honestly, you couldn’t make it up.

If Murcia can pull off another one here, it would be their first piece of silverware in 40 years of history. For a club that size, in a region like Murcia, that would be absolutely massive — proper fairy tale stuff.

All eyes on this one. It’s got classic written all over it.