Talking about Real Estelí of Nicaragua is talking about football. It is logical, since this emblematic team has 15 titles in the First Division and more than 32 in total. Towards that activity was the effort of this organization founded in 1961. However, a little over a year ago the people in charge of the franchise decided to open up to other sports. Although the project includes, in the near future, a venture into baseball, the most popular sport in the country, and in cycling, the first step, firm and safe, was in basketball.

It was in February 2018 when the basketball section of the organization was formed, and ensemble of the team started. As the sports manager of the new activity, Jelmun Estrada was appointed, who explains that "we intend to start participating in other sports and started with basketball, because it is very popular and has many followers in our city. The fans of the city were in crisis, because no representative of the city managed to participate in a national tournament, which caused people to move from the team.”

An agreement between the people in charge of the team with the local government and the sponsors who accompany in soccer, motivated the decision to register in the National League of Nicaragua, which has six participants.

As a coach, Juan Mendieta was entrusted and, in order to form the team, the organization resorted to what was available in the market. The experienced Noel McKenzie, along with Jonathan Martínez and Windell Sloan, arrived in the city, while José Reyes and David Toruño, among others, were given an opportunity at the local level. "We bet on local players looking to identify the team with the fans of the city, so that they attend the games," remarked Estrada.

The development of the National League was more even than expected. Toros de Matagalpa, Brumas de Jinotega, Leones de Managua and Real Estelí, who played at the Polideportivo Oscar Gamez 2, alternated the leadership during the regular season. After finishing second, the Estelí eliminated Toros in the Semifinals and completed a dream season winning in the decisive series to Brumas de Jinotega 4-2.

"It is true that we had the pressure to achieve the title, because Real Estelí is a dominant brand in the sport of Nicaragua, a brand related to the triumph and good organization. Fortunately, we were able to give the public a joy, they accompanied us in great numbers, and they found in basketball another spectacle to enjoy," says Estrada.

The national title allowed Real Estelí to have its first international experience in the Campeonato Centroamericano de Clubes. With the enthusiasm generated by the conquest of the National League, the organization decided to host the tournament in Managua, taking advantage of the brand-new stadium Alexis Arguello, with capacity for 8,000 people, built for the Central American Games of 2017. There the team added its second title, now coached by Puerto Rican Wilo Colón, after defeating in the final the favorite, Correcaminos de Colón, of Panama, by 74-65, in a changing and even match. It can be said that Real Esteli, has a brief but intense story, dominated, for now by the triumphs.

According to Estrada, they are "very happy and satisfied with the results obtained so far. But we are aware that there’s a lot to improve, we must improve our national athletes and accustom them to the demands of the international arena. Participating in the Liga de las Americas 2019 is a very big prize and a satisfaction, it helps us set new challenges.”

In Real Estelí the assume that repeating a great season as the last will not be easy. To face it they decided that Noel McKenzie, who closes his career as a Player in this Liga de las Americas will be the new coach and the organization will reinforce the roster, looking for the back to back championship.

For the time being, they will use the Carlos Ulloa in Memorian National Championship, where foreign reinforcements are not allowed, to test players from the city.

But in addition, the team hopes to start developing a plan that, among other aspects, aims to implement an academy for children from 8 years old to 16 years old, seeking to generate new players. "We aim at sports training and comprehensive education for young people. The sport will be related to the studies. The organization has already demonstrated that it knows how to administer economic resources and also worries about human resources, we want to train professional athletes, but that they also complete their studies, thinking about the future. Real Estelí wants to forge people with values, ethics and principles," said Estrada.

FIBA