Last year, Malaga hosted the final four of the FIBA Champions League. In that final tournament, Unicaja was the favorite for the title, the "Jose Maria Martín Carpena" hall was waiting to welcome the champions, but the plan was disrupted by Telekom from Bonn, which, led by T-J Shorts, eliminated the host of the tournament in the semifinals, and then in the match for the title was won by Hapoel from Jerusalem and made history.
A year later, the Andalusian team won the cup in this competition. Last weekend, Malaga defeated Murcia (80:74) in the semi-final and Tenerife (80:75) in the final and won the third European trophy in history, and the first in this competition. The Spanish team won the Korać Cup in 2001, and the European Cup in 2017.
In the first half last night, the teams focused on defense, on aggressive, solid basketball. Despite that, Unikaha reached a double-digit advantage at one point, which it kept until going to the locker room (38:27).
But the two-time champion did not give up. In the series of Malaga, Tenerife fought back, fought and seven minutes before the end came to minus four - 67:63. Then Montenegrin representative Kendrick Perry jumped into the foreground - he hit a three-pointer for 70:63, then stole the ball, and then laid it in the basket for 72:63. The rush was rejected, Unicaha preserved the advantage it had from the start of the game and achieved a historic triumph.
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Peri was the first star the previous weekend in the capital of Serbia. He finished the final with 17 points (6/9 from the field), with one assist and two rebounds and a steal each. In the semi-final against Murcia, the Montenegrin representative had 12 points and three rebounds. As expected, he was named the most valuable player in the final four, and the legendary Željko Rebrača presented him with the trophy.
"We showed character. From the position we were in last year, when we missed the final, we managed to continue this process. And that process continues day by day. Some days are good, some not so much. But, a year later , we can call ourselves champions. Every man in the team made sacrifices, we stuck together and believed in each other. That's what got us to this," Perry said after the game.
It was Peri who was the tragic last season, when in the semi-final against Telekom Bon, he missed a three-pointer in the last second to win. A year later, he not only won the title, but he is also the MVP of F4, and he was selected in the ideal five of the competition.
"I didn't watch the game against Bono anymore, I didn't want to. It was obviously a disappointing moment for me and the team. But I don't want to live in the past," said Peri, who won the King's Cup with Unicaja last season.
At the press conference after the game, the player was very inspired.
"I often talk about sacrifice. But that's what this team does. They sacrifice for each other. Even younger players, like Carter and Osetkovski, who still have a lot to expect in their professional careers. Each player individually has his own story. But, we succeeded to come together and understand that this is bigger than us individually".
Peri changed many clubs in his career, he played for Solnok, Karpoš Sokole, Nižnja, Metropolitan, Mega, Cedevita-Olimpija, Panathinaikos and Budućnost Voli, from where he arrived in 2022 in Unikah, which is his first team where he stayed longer from one season. And in Budućnost, he was coached by Aleksandar Džikić, who was an expert consultant during the final four in Belgrade.
"Coach Džikić and I have a good relationship, since the period when I left Panathinaikos and came to Buducnost. He always had great confidence in me. I remember before that, when he was the coach of Partizan and I played in North Macedonia, he told me nice words that I will never forget," said Perry.
His teammates also point out that Peri is the leader of Unikaha.
"It's nice to see how life works sometimes. If you don't lose, you can't learn sometimes. We learned a lot after losing to Bono last season. Peri is incredible, he won the MVP award," said Nihad Đedović, also one of the most deserving for Malaga title. His three-pointer against Murcia in the second half broke the ice, it was the team's first in that match.
Kalinoski also agrees with Đedović.
"Peri is a great leader, a great player, it's fun to play with him, I'm happy for him," said the Andalusian defender.
But Perry is not only talked about by his teammates, but also by his rivals.
"He's fearless. He doesn't care if he misses the last shot, he's going to keep trying and always put pressure on the defense. He's shown he's resilient. Last season he missed that shot to win against Bono and this year he's won it all. That's the beauty of the dispute," said the legendary Marcelinho Huertas.
After the tournament in Belgrade, Peri joined Marius Grigonis, Mike Green, Kevin Panter, Tad McFadden, Vitor Benito, Marcelino Huertas and T-J Shorts, who won the MVP award of the final tournament before him.
And after the Champions League, Unicaja turns to the Endesa League, where, three rounds before the end of the regular season, it is in second place with a score of 25-5 and a game less than the leader Real.
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