Zaragoza, always a tough place to play

Heading to Aragon. Unicaja will travel away from Martín Carpena this weekend to face Casademont Zaragoza on Sunday, November 8 (5:00 p.m., broadcasted by DAZN, Movistar Plus+, and Unicaja Baloncesto Radio, live from El Quinto Quarto). It won’t be an easy game, as the team from Málaga will face a Zaragoza squad that’s in great form at the start of the season.

 

The biggest news for Unicaja is the addition of Kevin Knox, the team’s latest signing, who—after passing the required medical exams—is now available to coach Txus Vidorreta.

 

Casademont Zaragoza currently sits in sixth place in the standings, with a record of four wins and two losses. Only two EuroLeague teams—Valencia Basket and Barça—have managed to defeat the squad coached by Gonzalo García de Vitoria, which has beaten La Laguna Tenerife, Leyma Coruña, iLERNA Lleida, and, in the most recent game, FIATC Girona (107-78).

 

Casademont Zaragoza’s strong start to the season is reflected in the statistics. The team from Zaragoza ranks third in the Endesa League in assists (20.67) and three-pointers (12.5, with the second-best percentage in the league—43.6%); and fifth in free throws (18.83) and efficiency rating (105.17). These are certainly statistics to keep in mind for Sunday’s matchup.

 

New Faces

The current Casademont Zaragoza bears little resemblance to the team from previous seasons. The red-and-white squad has made as many as eight new signings this season, including Guillem Vives, Sergi García, Justin Jaworski, Caleb Homesley, Nicolás Brussino, Roberts Blumbergs, Jilson Bango (currently recovering from an injury), and Laurynas Birutis. Only Trae Bell-Haynes, Miguel González, Jaime Fernández, and Gabriel Olaseni remain from the roster that miraculously avoided relegation in the final seconds of last season.

 

As for players to watch, Casademont Zaragoza boasts a backcourt duo performing at a high level: Trae Bell-Haynes (13.4 points, 5.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 15.2 efficiency rating) and veteran Guillem Vives (10.7 points, 5.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 14.3 efficiency rating).

 

On the perimeter, shooter Justin Jaworski (16.7 points with 2.5 three-pointers, 1.7 assists) and Nicolás Brussino (9 points, 3.7 rebounds) are the main threats, along with Caleb Homesley (9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds), who is recovering from a sprained left ankle.

 

Príncipe Felipe: Bittersweet Memories

 

Traveling to Zaragoza always brings mixed feelings for Unicaja. On the one hand, they’ll always remember the Copa del Rey title they won in 2005 at the Príncipe Felipe. But on the other hand, it’s a arena where the team from Málaga has struggled, as they’ve lost half (8) of the 16 Liga Endesa games played there, including three of the five most recent matchups. However, in their last matchup on the banks of the Ebro, Unicaja won 79–86 in November 2025, while in the most recent encounter, which took place at the Carpena, Unicaja won 112–89.

 

Barreiro, a legend for the opponent

The game will be special for one of Unicaja’s players: Jonathan Barreiro. The Galician small forward played for Casademont Zaragoza for five seasons, from 2016 to 2021, before joining the team in Málaga. He left a lasting impression in the Aragonese city, eventually becoming team captain and delivering outstanding performances that, to this day, rank him second in all-time games played for the Aragonese club (149), fifth in rebounds (488), sixth in minutes played (2,558), and eighth in three-pointers (119). It will, therefore, be an exciting reunion for the Cerceda native at the Príncipe Felipe.

 

Unicaja will face Casademont Zaragoza this coming Sunday, November 8, starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Príncipe Felipe. The game, part of Week 7 of the Liga Endesa, will be broadcasted live by DAZN, Movistar Plus+, and Unicaja Baloncesto Radio from El Quinto Quarto.