María Pilar Alonso


María Pilar Alonso López, known as Piluca Alonso is a former Spanish basketball player, member of the Spanish team at the 1992 Summer Olympics. She won the gold medal at the 1993 European Championship.

Club career

Born and raised in León, she started playing basketball with school club Dominicos, and later in nearby Casa Galicia Baloncesto. She transferred to one of the top teams of the time, the Celta Citröen in 1983. At 1.95m, she was the tallest player in the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. Being only 16, she won her first title, the 1984 Copa de la Reina. She played at Celta Citröen until the team disappeared for financial reasons. After one season at Amanecer Alcorcón, she signed for Dorna Godella / Costa Naranja, where she won FIBA European Champions Cup 1993.

National team

She made her debut with Spain women's national basketball team at the age of 19. She played with the senior team for 11 years, from 1987 to 1998, with a total of 171 caps and 5.3 PPG. As one of the most promising young players of her time, she was offered the chance to join the Caja Toledo - BEX Banco Exterior project in 1988, with other young Spanish prospects in order to prepare for the 1992 Summer Olympics, but she refused for personal reasons. She was later called up for the Olympic squad due to Yolanda Moliné's injury, but head coach Chema Buceta didn't give her the chance to play because of her denial to join the team in 1988.
She participated in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, two World Championships and four European Championships: