If you’ve spent any time watching the Liga Endesa, you know that some games just feel "heavier" than others. Tenerife vs Valencia Basket is exactly that. It’s not just about the points on the board or who’s sitting higher in the ACB standings. It’s a clash of two very different basketball souls.
On one side, you have the tactical, surgical precision of Txus Vidorreta’s La Laguna Tenerife. On the other, the high-octane, physical depth of Valencia Basket.
I was looking at the recent history between these two, and honestly, it’s been a bit of a nightmare for the islanders lately. Just this past November, Valencia handled them 96-79 at the Roig Arena. Kameron Taylor went off for 23 points, and Tenerife—despite some hot shooting early on—just couldn't keep up when the defensive pressure ramped up.
But if you think that means Tenerife is a pushover, you haven't been paying attention. This rivalry is deeper than one bad night in Valencia.
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The Tactical Chess Match: Vidorreta vs Pedro Martínez
Whenever these two teams meet, the first thing I look at isn't the players. It’s the benches. Txus Vidorreta has been at Tenerife so long he’s basically part of the architecture. He plays a "slow-cooker" style of basketball. They’re often the team with the fewest possessions per game in the league. They want to grind you down, move the ball until you make a mistake, and then punish you with a three-pointer or a Shermadini hook shot.
Valencia, now under Pedro Martínez (who, let's remember, returned to the "Taronja" bench to bring back that championship grit), wants the opposite. They want to run. They want to use their 12-man deep rotation to make Tenerife’s veterans feel every single one of their years.
The Shermadini and Huertas Factor
Can we talk about Marcelinho Huertas for a second? The guy is 42. Forty-two! And he’s still out there dishing nearly 6 assists a game like it’s 2012. His connection with Giorgi Shermadini is basically a cheat code. If Valencia doesn't put a body on Shermadini early, he’ll drop 15 and 8 before you’ve even finished your first beer.
However, in that November loss, Shermadini was held to just 10 points. Valencia’s bigs, particularly Matt Costello and the athletic Neal Sako, have found a way to make life miserable for him. They’re younger, they’re bouncy, and they don't let him get comfortable in the paint.
Why Valencia Has Had the Upper Hand
If you look at the last five or six meetings, the trend is pretty clear. Valencia has won five in a row against Tenerife. That includes a brutal 3-0 sweep in the 2025 Playoffs. Why?
- Athleticism: Valencia’s wings like Jean Montero and Brancou Badio are just faster. They jump higher. They close out on shooters quicker.
- The Roig Arena: Moving from the old Fonteta to the Roig Arena has given Valencia a massive home-court boost. The atmosphere is loud, and it clearly rattled Tenerife in their last visit.
- The "Jean Montero" Problem: Montero has been a thorn in Tenerife’s side for years, whether he was at Andorra, Gran Canaria, or now Valencia. He’s too twitchy for Tenerife’s older guards to stay in front of.
The Upcoming Rematch: March 14, 2026
Mark your calendars. The next time these two face off is March 14, 2026, at the Pabellón Insular Santiago Martín. This is where things get interesting.
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Tenerife at home is a completely different beast. The "Laguneros" fans are intense, and the air in San Cristóbal de La Laguna just seems to favor the home team's shooting. If Tenerife wants to snap this losing streak, they need Bruno Fitipaldo and Jaime Fernández to be absolutely clinical from deep.
What Tenerife Needs to Change
Honestly, they have to stop playing "nice" basketball. Against Valencia, you have to get muddy. In their last few losses, Tenerife allowed Valencia to dictate the tempo. When the game becomes a track meet, Tenerife loses. They need to foul more. They need to stop the fast break. They need to turn the game into a 70-point slog.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Rivalry
A lot of casual fans think Valencia is just a "richer" club that buys its way to wins. While their budget is higher, the reason they beat Tenerife isn't just money—it’s the way they’ve modernized their roster.
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Tenerife is built on continuity. They’ve kept the same core (Huertas, Shermadini, Doornekamp, Abromaitis) for what feels like a decade. It brings chemistry, but it also brings predictability. Valencia, on the other hand, isn't afraid to blow things up. Bringing in guys like Kameron Taylor and Nate Sestina has given them a versatility that Tenerife struggles to match.
Key Players to Watch Next Time Around
- Kameron Taylor (Valencia): He’s become their "closer." If the game is tight in the fourth, the ball is in his hands.
- Rokas Giedraitis (Tenerife): The new addition for Tenerife. They need his size and shooting to offset Valencia’s athletic wings.
- Jean Montero (Valencia): If he gets into the lane, Tenerife’s defense collapses.
- Fran Guerra (Tenerife): Often the unsung hero. When Shermadini rests, Guerra has to provide more than just "filler" minutes. He needs to be a threat.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re looking at Tenerife vs Valencia basket for your next weekend of hoops, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the Pace: If the first quarter ends with a score like 25-22, advantage Valencia. If it's 16-14, Tenerife is exactly where they want to be.
- The Three-Point Line: Tenerife lives and dies by the arc. In their 96-79 loss, they actually shot well from deep early on but faded. Look for them to try and sustain that at home.
- Rebound Margin: Valencia has been dominating the glass lately. If Tenerife can keep the rebounding deficit under five, they have a real shot at the upset.
Don't just look at the win-loss column. This is a game of styles. Tenerife is trying to prove that "old-school" tactical basketball still has a place at the top of the ACB, while Valencia is trying to cement themselves as the primary challenger to the Real Madrid/Barcelona duopoly.
The best thing you can do is watch the first five minutes of the next game. See how Valencia defends the Huertas-Shermadini pick-and-roll. If they’re switching successfully without giving up open threes, it’s going to be a long night for the islands. But if Huertas starts finding his shooters in the corners, we might finally see that losing streak snapped.
Check the local broadcast schedules or the ACB app as the March date approaches—this isn't one you want to miss if you value high-level European hoops.