Mano--2019-20 Binakako Txapelketa /Parejas--Expanding the Playoffs and the Curious Decision by ASPE to Drop Last Year's Champion Delantero from the Competition.

Back to the update

This year's BT/CP sees 3 interesting and perhaps controversial changes, 1 involving format,  and 2 involving players.

1. The format has added two teams to the post season. Since the present format was instituted in 2012, the top 4 finishers in the League season have played off in a 3 match round robin Semi-final League, The top two finishers in that League played in a final. This year the top 6 teams will enter the post season. The top 2 teams will be guaranteed a place in the Semi-final League. #3 v #6 and #4 v #5 will have a play in match to fill the other two slots. Some think this simply dilutes the meaning of the regular League competition. Others think of it as an exciting addition to keep more fans interested longer. These have been points of view in American team sports for many years, as the tendency is for more teams and more playoffs. 

Last year, the 5th and 6th place finishers (BLOG POST; scroll to the bottom of the page), Artola-Mariezkurrena and Ezkurdia-L. Galarza, finished with 7 wins and 7 losses. If this year's new rules were in effect, they would have made the post season, with elimination matches against Victor (substituting for the injured Oliazola II)-Albisu and Altuna III-Martija respectively. 

In 2017-18 the 5th and 6th place finishers (Wikipedia), Urrutikoetxea-L. Galarza and Victor (Laso)-Albisu finished 6-8 and 5-9 respectively.

In 2016-17 the 5th and 6th place finishers, (Wikipedia), Ezkurdia-Merino II and Artola-Albisu finished 6-8. 

In 2015-16 the 5th and 6th place finishers (Wikipedia), Martinez de Irujo-Barriola and Retegi BI-Rezusta were 7-7 and 6-8 respectively. 

Of the last eight 5th and 6th place finishers, five finished with less wins than losses. There is an argument to be made about what the minimum amount of wins necessary should be. In the last 4 competitions, no team has made the Semi-final League with less wins than losses. The idea of a 5-9 team winning the championship is abhorrent to some fans. A team that is 3 and 8 and then wins 3 in a row is a "hot" team, but not necessarily a good team. In my opinion, no team that wins less than it loses in a double round robin of this magnitude has any business getting anywhere near post season play. But it may increase interest, and it does make for more TV revenue.

2. Mikel Urrutikoetxea, after 3 years in the front (20-36 and no post League play) has been, I think, wisely moved back to the back court, where he was dominant in 2015-16.  He will partner with Aimar Oliazola (Olaizola II), the 40 year old 3 time champion in this competition, who is making a strong comeback from a possible career threatening leg injury. U-O partnered together in 2015-16 to win this title. The speed, quickness, and power of Urrutikoetxea, and the offensive potential he brings to the back court, is a unique combination for that position. It will be interesting to see how this reunion works out.

3. By far the most controversial aspect of this competition was the decision by ASPE to drop Danel Elezkano (Elezkano II) and replace him with Erik Jaka. Elezkano II is the defending delantero (front) champion in this competition, and he was runner up for the 2017-18 championship. Direct comparisons between the two are unavailable, as detailed statistics for Jaka are missing from the ASPE database (interestingly and frustratingly, detailed statistics for Iker Irribarria, who also has won a championship and was runner up in the last 4 years, are also unavailable). What we do know is that Elezkano has a career record (according to that database) of 120-97 (.553) to Jaka's 152-120 (.559). However, Elezkano's competition has been, for the most part, at a higher level than Jaka's.

Jaka's experience in this competition consists of 4 matches as a substitute in 2017 (2-2). Elezkano has played in 55 CP matches in his career and has been a regular the last 3 years. In the last two CPs his record was 27-9. In the last three, 34-16. 

Elezkano's complete record for the 2018-19 season was 24-22. (11/15/18--11/10/19).

Jaka had a very successful 2019 4 1/2 competition, but he did not make the Final.

It is difficult to see, from the above data, the reasoning behind the ASPE decision. 

And it is also interesting to look at the history of this competition, which is easily accessible back to 2001 via the Baikopilota historical database. In the 19 seasons between 2001 and 2018-19, a player who won a championship has missed the next competition 3 times. Eulate (zaguero-back) in 2009, Goni II (z-b) in 2010, and Zubieta (z-b) in 2011, Goni II retired. No champion delantero-front, has ever been absent from the next competition in those 19 seasons.

In short, in my opinion, this was a decision that had no justification whatsoever behind it. I wish Jaka well, and, judging by his early magnificent performance in the dismantling of  Irribarria-Rezusta by Jaka-Zabaleta, he is certainly out to show everyone that he belongs. And perhaps he does. But not at the expense of a defending champion.

Back to the Update