Joan Penarroya

Joan Penarroya played guard before coaching, then made his name with modest resources. He lifted Andorra up the divisions and won back-to-back Champions Leagues at Burgos.

Valencia, Baskonia and Barcelona followed. In 2026 he took over Partizan, maybe the most demanding emotional environment of his career.

Straightforward, competitive, pragmatic. He is not interested in building a larger-than-life persona. His reputation is work, preparation and giving a team a clear identity.

When Barcelona hired him, they pointed specifically to his character and experience.

His defining trait is adapting to his players. He has openly rejected the idea of forcing one brand on every roster, and instead builds around what he has.

His teams usually want pace, early attacks, pick-and-rolls and aggressive perimeter play. At Partizan the challenge is adding enough defensive discipline without killing that freedom.