#21 Pedro Rivero. Ser jugador es lo más divertido que hay, es lo que hemos hecho desde niños

In episode 21 of "Gente Maja" (Nice People), we're joined by one of Segovia's most important athletes of the last 25 years, a great basketball player who has also become a great coach: Pedro Rivero del Caz. Pedro is from Segovia, and what's more, he's delighted to be from there. He studied at Claret, and that's where he started shooting hoops, because, as he says, there were tons of hoops in the playground, and soccer didn't appeal to him as much. At 17, his parents were called to go play in Ponferrada, and they didn't hesitate. That's where his basketball career began. After Ponferrada, he played for Real Madrid, CANOE, Valencia, Cantabria, Cáceres, León, Tenerife, CajaSol, Zaragoza, Murcia, Lucentum Alicante, Ourense, Melilla, and in 2018, Lucentum Alicante again. And three weeks after hanging up his boots, he began his coaching career with Lucentum Alicante Basketball Club (2018-2021), Palencia Basketball (2021-2023), and CB Estudiantes in LEB Oro (2023-2025). After so many years away, he remembers positive things from all his destinations, but he cherishes the places where he feels "something special happened," like Ourense, Murcia, and Alicante. Of the games he remembers, he highlights his ACB debut and his debut as a player in A Coruña, but no particular game stands out. Now he does watch some games on YouTube because his children ask him to. And the transition from player to coach was very natural, even though he went from retiring as a player to coaching in just three weeks. In his first seasons, they won the cup, won the league, and set a record for wins. Step onto the court is what he wants now, because if he could compete with 20-year-olds, he'd still be playing, but helping the youngsters improve and improving the team are his goals as a coach. Pedro is currently without a team, having spent over 20 years constantly moving around Spain, and he wanted to take a few months off to continue his training, watch basketball, further develop as a coach, and be ready for when a good opportunity arises, which he's sure will come. Regarding Segovia, he congratulates them on all the work being done with grassroots basketball, as it's one of the cities with the most registered players per capita, but he misses having a more professional team where many boys and girls could finish their careers without having to leave the city. I took away many things from my conversation with Pedro. One is that behind every professional player and coach, there's not just a person, there's a family. Another is that if he were asked to send his children to play abroad, he'd give the same answer his parents did: go for it. And lastly, playing is the most fun; it's what we've done since we were kids. Thank you, Pedro.