Born on 16th November 1937 in Málaga, Alfonso Queipo de Llano first came into contact with basketball during his student years at Colegio de los Agustinos.
After spending a few years studying in Madrid (1954-1960), where he played at Colegio Ateneo, he returned to Málaga. Whilst at Colegio de los Maristas, via Hermano Lucidio, he was commissioned to coach the Ademar team, at that time in basketball’s Second Division, as well as the school's volleyball team.
At the end of 1963, and with the mediation of Crescencio Miranda, Alfonso Queipo de Llano convinced Club Deportivo Málaga, under the presidency of Juan Moreno de Luna, to create the entity’s basketball section, using the Ademar Maristas base.
Between 1964 and 1968, Alfonso was a CD Málaga player and until 1971, together with Jesús Bonilla, he worked as player-coach. In addition, he was CD Málaga director in charge of the basketball section, a team that competed on a court that was built behind the current Fondo stand.
During this period, the Blue and White team competed on five occasions to try to achieve promotion to the top flight of Spanish basketball, at a time when it was dominated by Madrid, Basque and Catalan teams.
In 1971, after a call from Pepe Paterna, Alfonso moved to Centro de Deportes El Palo, which had just created its basketball division. A few years later, the project known as Miraflores-El Palo, would become the embryo of the SD Caja de Ronda, currently Unicaja.
In addition, Alfonso was one of the founding fathers of the ACB, the best basketball league on the European continent.
Alfonso will always be remembered as the patron of Málaga basketball and a true example of an athlete, as he also practiced other sports such as rowing, sailing and water polo.
Rest in peace, Don Alfonso Queipo de Llano Giménez.
Source: Domingo Muñoz