From competing at the highest level to running a cod company at just 28 years old

TortosaFour months after playing his last ACB game with Baxi Manresa, Jaume Sorolla debuted with CB Cantaires de Tortosa in the Catalan First Division. The 28-year-old center rejected offers to continue in professional basketball and returned home. "We have a family business that imports cod from Iceland and the Faroe Islands to Tortosa and the Ebro Delta region. I'm part of the fourth generation in the business. When my father died a few years ago, we realized we needed to strengthen the management, since my mother is a nurse at the Verge de la C' Hospital (the Hospital de Jesús). We didn't have a manager, and we agreed that I would take charge," says Sorolla, who, after developing in FC Barcelona's youth system, went to study in the US.

"When the possibility of returning home arose, I was a bit burned out on professional basketball and decided to take the plunge," explains Sorolla, who has 72 games under his belt in the Liga Endesa. The center has become very involved in the CB Cantaires project, as he not only plays but also serves as the technical director of the men's first team. "I've managed to convince my brother and a group of friends to come and play. We only have local players and a Frenchman who's studying in Tortosa. We don't pay any of the players, but the goal is to get promoted every season," he says. The team's coach is Jordi Adell, a highly experienced coach.

"We've taken steps to attract sponsors we didn't have before. We've created a project that appeals to Tortosa's pride, taking inspiration from Girona," explains Sorolla, who played two and a half seasons for Bàsquet Girona, where he learned a great deal from Marc Gasol. "The ultimate goal is to consolidate the project so that it provides an education for the players coming up through the youth ranks, so that in a few years they will be the ones to continue the project," summarizes Sorolla, who averages 13.6 points per game in the Catalan First Division.

A growing club

Gustavo Yupanqui has been the president of CB Cantaires for a year and a half. "We are a growing club. We want to regain the prestige we had a few years ago. We have 16 teams: eight men's, five women's, and three mixed. The key to the project is unity. Our membership continues to grow, and our sponsors not only contribute financially but also help us with services," says Yupanqui, who seeks to build on the legacy of Antes, a women's basketball team that won state titles.