Gerard Encuentra Extends Contract with Hiopos Lleida Through 2029

Força Lleida and Gerard Encuentra have agreed to extend the Lleida-born coach's contract by two seasons. Encuentra's deal, which was set to expire in June 2027, has been extended through June 2029

Gerard Encuentra joined Hiopos Lleida in the summer of 2021, coming from CB Pardinyes, where he achieved success including promotion to LEB Plata and the LEB Catalana League (2019).

In his first year as head coach of Força Lleida (the team was ICG Força Lleida in 2021-2022), he qualified the team for the Final Four promotion playoff to the Liga Endesa (held at Fontajau in Girona), where the team reached the semifinals.

The following season (2022-2023), Gerard guided the team to the promotion playoffs again. A year later, in the 2023-2024 season, Encuentra not only qualified his team for the Final Four in Madrid, but also defeated Movistar Estudiantes in the final, securing promotion to the Liga Endesa after nineteen years without Lleida basketball in Spain's top league.

In their first year in the Liga Endesa, Hiopos Lleida secured permanence with four games remaining in the regular season. With the promotion, the Lleida coach became the youngest head coach to lead a team in the ACB at just 34 years old.

Gerard Encuentra is a clear example of what represents the philosophy of Força Lleida and Lleida's DNA: fight, effort, discipline, consistency, hard work, and perseverance.

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Hiopos Lleida press release