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25 June 2026  7 min read

Alberto Lorenzo: The human side of basketball will always matter most

After more than two decades coaching at the highest level in Spain and internationally, his greatest satisfaction still comes from something much simpler: the relationships built along the way.

As Great Britain's Senior Men's team prepares for a crucial week of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers – Lithuania away on 2 July, Iceland in Manchester on 5 July –  Lorenzo has stepped into the lead coaching role while Head Coach Marc Steutel is away for the birth of his first child.

It is a responsibility he accepts with characteristic humility, focused not on titles but on ensuring the team continues moving forward together.

"I really love building a connection with the players and staff," Lorenzo said.

"That I have their trust and their belief, that is the best feeling one can get from basketball in my opinion. When that also helps players or coaches achieve what they want to achieve in their careers, that's the most rewarding part.

"I value the human side of this sport more than anything else. We're all human beings and we all have our own worries, difficulties, challenges and ambitions. I want to understand that about the players and staff as much as anything else."

Those values have shaped a coaching journey that began almost by accident.

Lorenzo still vividly remembers the moment basketball first captured his imagination.

"I remember watching EuroBasket many years ago when Spain were in the final and needed to win to qualify for the Olympic Games in 1984," he recalled.

"I was at home watching on television and just fell in love with the game.

"Since then I've been involved in basketball in one way or another and consider myself very lucky to be in the position I'm in now where I can call this my career."

Unlike many coaches, Lorenzo never dreamed of becoming a professional player.

He jokes that his height quickly ruled that ambition out, leading him towards coaching while still a teenager.

"Most of that time has been spent coaching because, as you can see, I'm not tall enough to be a basketball player," he laughed.

"I chose very early, maybe when I was 19 or 20, to pursue coaching seriously. I worked with my first team from that age and since then I've been coaching full-time."

That decision would prove life-changing.

After joining Spanish giants Estudiantes in 2000, Lorenzo immersed himself completely in coaching, steadily developing his reputation as one of the country's most respected teachers of the game.

Even now, with decades of experience behind him, he believes improvement is an endless pursuit.

"Building that self-belief as a coach is difficult and it's a process," he explained.

"Coaching became a way of life for me, but I've always tried to take steps to grow and improve and enjoy every opportunity that comes my way.

"I signed for Estudiantes in 2000 and from there I knew my path in life was to be a coach, but the growth and the journey never truly stop. I enjoy that process so much."

Ironically, Lorenzo's childhood was centred far more around education than sport.

His father owned the school where he grew up, creating an environment built on learning before basketball unexpectedly entered his life.

"I didn't play a lot of different sports as a kid, honestly," he said.

"My father owned the school where I was growing up, so I was more focused on studying and sticking my head in books than sports.

"But one day my father decided to put a hoop in our back garden and it was a critical moment for me as a teenager.

"It gave me confidence and a way to build relationships with other people. That's the element of basketball I've tried to champion ever since."

Those relationships have become a defining theme throughout Lorenzo's career, none more significant than the one he shares with Great Britain captain Dan Clark.

The pair first met during Clark's playing days at Estudiantes, where Lorenzo coached him before their friendship developed beyond basketball.

"Dan is somebody I know extremely well," Lorenzo said.

"Our relationship started as that of a coach and a player when we were at Estudiantes together, but now we are truly friends – or at least that's how I feel!

"He is one of my closest friends and somebody I am very thankful to basketball for bringing into my life and allowing us to have this journey together."

Great Britain has also become an important chapter in Lorenzo's own coaching story.

Having previously served as Head Coach before returning as Marc Steutel's assistant, he says the people involved have left a lasting impression.

"I had a great experience in the past with GB Basketball as Head Coach, and now as Assistant Coach to Marc," he said.

"The people and the connections I've made here are some of the most special to me and I'm very grateful for the experience.

"What role I have doesn't matter at all. I don't think about that. It's about the people I get to share the journey with and I feel very lucky in that regard."

That perspective also explains why there was never any hesitation when Steutel left camp to be with his growing family.

For Lorenzo, there was only one place his colleague should be.

"We understand why we're looked at as basketball coaches first and foremost, but we are also fathers, husbands, brothers," he said.

"We have life away from the court and that life is more important than basketball.

"I'm very happy for Marc and his family in this next step of his and Kayleigh's journey together. He is where he needs to be and we are all happy and supportive of him.

"He's the perfect coach for GB Basketball. I've been in communication with him every day, I'm very happy for him and to have his support from afar until he can come back to us."

With preparations continuing in Barcelona ahead of games against Lithuania and Iceland, Lorenzo's immediate priority has been integrating a squad featuring several new faces.

The extended training camp has provided valuable time to establish the chemistry that will be essential during qualification.

"Camps like this are always challenging when you have a lot of new players coming in," he explained.

"But we have been fortunate to have extra time here in Barcelona to integrate everybody and bring them together before a big week of qualifiers.

"Our first priority is to get everybody up to speed and build that chemistry in week one before we turn our attention fully to what will be a critical second week."

The stakes could hardly be higher.

Progression would see Great Britain reach the next phase of World Cup qualifying for only the second time in the programme's history, another landmark moment in the continued growth of British basketball.

Lorenzo knows the significance of that opportunity.

"To reach the next stage would be another significant milestone for British basketball," he said.

"If we achieve this then it would only be the second time the team has reached this stage, which would be something amazing.

"We're doing everything we can to realise that aim and hopefully in Manchester next week we can celebrate a very good moment together."

Great Britain face Lithuania in Klaipeda on 2 July and Iceland in Manchester on 5 July. 

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