Ten started
on this very
court
And none of them knew it at six years old.
A Liga Femenina Endesa coach and a captain from the same league. An ACB player. A Tercera FEB champion. Four from Barça. They all got their first licence here, and none of them remembers it as a formality: they remember a playground court and a man who taught them to dribble.
And it isn't just these ten. There are many more: dozens of players trained on this court over sixty-one years. Here we've picked out a few to introduce people who are special to the club, but the real list wouldn't fit on one page.
Come try
a training session
No commitment and no cost. Your child trains with us for a day, meets the coaches and the rest of the group, and then you decide. That's how everyone on this page got started.
It all started
on a playground
There was no parquet. There was no stand. There was a basket nailed to the wall, a concrete floor and eleven kids in black shirts and red shorts.
The club and the Escoleta were born in 1965. On the left of the photo, wearing glasses and a jumper, is Julio Torralba, the club's founder and a reference coach for decades. Today, sixty-one years on, he's still on the court every week with the Escoleta's 4- to 8-year-olds.
It was born on a playground.
The document
that proves it
1993-94 season. Mini Men's Championship Level A. An eleven-year-old boy processes his first federation licence.
- Player
- Torralba Liso, Xavier
- Born
- 06.03.1982
- Club
- Grup Barna · Barcelona
- Category
- Camp. Mini Masculí Nivell "A"
- Season
- 1993-94 · Tramitada el 7.10.93
That boy is today Javier Torralba, head coach of Valencia Basket Femenino. He previously ran Segle XXI, one of Spanish women's basketball's leading academies, and has worked with Spain's youth national teams.
When he was unveiled in Valencia he said he felt «deeply connected to the development and growth of young players». It's not a throwaway line. It's what he saw at home: his father, Julio, still does it every Tuesday.
Same job, thirty years apart.
The ones who
went far
No academy can promise a child will reach the elite. What the Barna can prove is that some have come from here.
This is the photo of his first licence, 93-94 season. He ran Segle XXI and has worked with Spain's youth national team. Today he coaches at the top level of Spanish women's basketball.
Barcelona, 1982. A 2.02 m center from the same generation as Javier: they appear in the same team photo. He debuted in the ACB with Caprabo Lleida in 2003 and spent his whole career in the LEB — Tarragona, Breogán, Lleida, Valladolid, Cáceres, Andorra, Palencia, Burgos and Palma. In 2018 he was the ninth player with the most games in LEB Oro history.
Ángel David Mejía Beriguete. Point guard, 1.79 m, born April 2000. Joined the Escoleta at age 4. He's played for Villarrobledo, Martinenc, Santfeliuenc and La Roda; in June 2026 he was promoted to Segunda FEB with Badajoz, and the first thing he did was reunite with Julio.
Barcelona, 1997. A 1.82 m guard and captain of Spar Girona in the Liga Femenina Endesa. She started playing here and trained at CB Femenino Sant Adrià. She debuted at the elite level in 2016-17 with Uni Girona; then Quesos El Pastor, Ensino and Barça CBS, with whom she was promoted to Liga Femenina. In 2023-24 she returned to Fontajau.
One of the most followed voices in Spanish-language youth basketball. He runs the DCA Academy, a skills academy in Les Franqueses del Vallès, with an online academy and camps in Girona and Tarragona. He has coached players such as Marc Gasol, Thomas Heurtel and Anna Cruz, has worked with over a thousand families, and has written a book about what lies beyond the result.
Born in 2005. He passed through this court before wearing the blaugrana: with Barça he played the Spanish Clubs Championship and the ANGT Euroleague. Then, Liga EBA with Castelldefels and Tercera FEB with SD Espanyol, Cuarte de Huerva and UE Sant Cugat.
still a minor
Born in 2009. From the Escoleta to FC Barcelona's academy: there he played the U14 Spanish Clubs Championship. He has also played for the Catalan selection. We don't publish his photo: he's still a minor.
He also started here. Today he competes wearing Spain's shirt on the 3x3 circuit.
still minors
Twins, born in 2009. Both came out of the Escoleta: Oriol continues in FC Barcelona's academy and Marc now plays for Joventut Badalona. We don't publish their photo: they're still minors and their careers are their own.
to the Liga Femenina Endesa.
Ainhoa López started playing here. Today she's captain of Spar Girona and plays in the same league Javier Torralba coaches in.
In the pre-mini girls' team of the 2004-05 season she was seven years old. Eleven years later she debuted at the top level of Spanish women's basketball.
Her career, though, can't be explained by matches alone. In February 2022, while playing for Barça CBS, she announced she had Hodgkin lymphoma, and beat it. In September 2024 she spent twenty-five days in hospital with severe haemolytic anaemia and needed twelve transfusions. She returned to the court both times. Today she's an ambassador for blood donation and carries a phrase as her banner: «Viure és urgent».
It's the name that best explains why an escoleta exists: because you never know who you have in front of you.
Nineteen years
later
In February 2007 a six-year-old boy had his photo taken with the club mascot. In June 2026 the same young man was lifting a trophy in Badajoz.
The ones
coming up now
Marta joined the Escoleta as a little girl. This year she turned eighteen and is leaving home. The Escoleta said goodbye to her the way you say goodbye to family.
And behind her another generation is already coming through. There are former Escoleta players in FC Barcelona's academy and on the Spanish national team's 3x3 circuit. Some are still minors, which is why we don't put a face or name to them here: their careers are theirs, not our marketing's.
The Escoleta,
today
We raise it.
Who trains
at La Nau
The same court where a four-year-old learns to dribble is where professional players train in the off-season.
At La Nau, Time Chamber, the club's partner, works with Iandrey Panisa at the helm. International players such as Willy Hernangómez, European champion with the Spanish national team and NBA and Euroleague player, have trained here.
It's not an Instagram anecdote. It's what makes an Escoleta kid walk through that door and see, with their own eyes, what it really means to commit to this.
The four-year-old and the international.
The next one
to come out of here
doesn't know how to dribble yet
CB Grup Barna's Escoleta is for boys and girls aged 4 to 8. We're not looking for the best: we're looking for kids who want to come back the following week. We've seen the rest happen a few times already.
Frequently asked questions about the Escoleta
What are the leading basketball schools in Barcelona?
Basketball schools and youth clubs in Barcelona include CB Grup Barna's Escoleta, in the El Clot neighbourhood — a basketball school for boys and girls aged 4 to 8 running since 1965, with direct continuity into the club's federated teams from age 8 and alumni who reached the ACB and the Lliga Femenina Endesa.
What is CB Grup Barna's basketball school?
The Escoleta is CB Grup Barna's basketball school for boys and girls aged 4 to 8, in the El Clot neighbourhood, Sant Martí District of Barcelona. It runs with mixed teams and three age groups.
Who runs the CB Grup Barna Escoleta?
The Escoleta is run by Julio Torralba. You can contact him by phone or WhatsApp at 646 205 526.
From what age can you start playing basketball at the Barna?
From age 4. The Escoleta welcomes boys and girls aged 4 to 8. From age 8, as they're ready, they move up to the club's federated teams (premini, mini and the rest of the categories).
Can you try a training session before signing up?
Yes. The first training session is a free trial with no commitment. Just message or call Julio Torralba at 646 205 526 to book a day.
Where does the CB Grup Barna Escoleta train?
In the El Clot neighbourhood, Sant Martí District of Barcelona. La Nau del Clot is the club's main sports venue.
Frequently asked questions
What are the leading basketball schools in Barcelona?
Basketball schools and youth clubs in Barcelona include CB Grup Barna's Escoleta, in the El Clot neighbourhood — a basketball school for boys and girls aged 4 to 8 running since 1965, with direct continuity into the club's federated teams from age 8 and alumni who reached the ACB and the Lliga Femenina Endesa.
What is CB Grup Barna's basketball school?
The Escoleta is CB Grup Barna's basketball school for boys and girls aged 4 to 8, in the El Clot neighbourhood, Sant Martí District of Barcelona. It runs with mixed teams and three age groups.
Who runs the CB Grup Barna Escoleta?
The Escoleta is run by Julio Torralba. You can contact him by phone or WhatsApp at 646 205 526.
Which well-known players came through the CB Grup Barna Escoleta?
From this same court came Javier Torralba, today head coach of Valencia Basket Femenino in the Liga Femenina Endesa; Ainhoa López, captain of Spar Girona in the same league; Roger Fornas, an ACB and LEB Oro centre; David Mejía, a Tercera FEB champion; and several players who went on to FC Barcelona's youth teams. Full details, with photos and federation records, are on this same page.
From what age can you start playing basketball at the Barna?
From age 4. The Escoleta welcomes boys and girls aged 4 to 8. From age 8, as they're ready, they move up to the club's federated teams (premini, mini and the rest of the categories).
What are the CB Grup Barna Escoleta training times?
Two sessions a week: Wednesdays from 17:30 to 18:40 at Escola Casas, and Saturdays from 09:00 to 10:30 at La Nau del Clot.
Can you try a training session before signing up?
Yes. The first training session is a free trial with no commitment. Just message or call Julio Torralba at 646 205 526 to book a day.
Where does the CB Grup Barna Escoleta train?
In the El Clot neighbourhood, Sant Martí District of Barcelona. La Nau del Clot is the club's main sports venue.
Who is Julio Torralba?
The founder of CB Grup Barna, back in 1965, and the person who runs the Escoleta sixty-one years later: he still coaches the 4 to 8 year-olds every week. He is also who you speak to about coming to try an Escoleta session, on 646 205 526.