Marcelinho Huertas: "Not even crazy would I have imagined a race like this"

Few challenges over time in professional sports like that of Marcelinho Huertas (Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1983), that devil who arrived at Joventut 19 seasons ago to mold himself in the wisdom of Aíto García Reneses, who was a leader at Barça and the Baskonia, who shared the court with Kobe Bryant in the Lakers and who continues to teach a few days after his 40th birthday at the Lenovo Tenerife with a magic potion based on roots, vegan food, meditation and the “gasoline” of his three children little ones. This Friday, at the Martín Carpena, Txus Vidorreta's men face the Final Four of the Basketball Champions League against Hapoel Jerusalem (5:30 p.m., Teledeporte; the other semifinal pits Unicaja against Telekom Bonn, 8:30 p.m.).

In February they won the Intercontinental and played the Cup final. Now they are looking for their third Champions League in six years. What is the secret of the Lenovo Tenerife? It is a matter of luck and merit. The team is always capable of taking one more step and our fight is to see how far we can go. Here almost all of us are veterans. Chemistry is important, keep the block. The teams that are usually successful are those that have identity over time. And we are good at making our opponent suffer, at finding their weak points. And to win…. is a rarity. You play for 20 years and the days when you win titles are very few. You also have to know how to enjoy the journey. If you’re only happy when you’re a champion, you’re going to live a bitter lifeThe Tenerife of Shermadini and Huertas, a pair as strange in their origins as they are effectiveThe other two centers with whom I’ve had a special connection were Thiago Splitter and Ante Tomic. All three are different, but they have one thing in common: they are very intelligent and know how to position themselves in the perfect place to receive the ball. They understand you with their eyes, they receive in the middle of the chaos. With Sherma there has been a lot of chemistry these four years, on and off the court, with Txus Vidorreta he crossed paths 15 years ago in Bilbao, the reason that pushed me the most to come to Tenerife was his presence. He called me right after finishing my season in Baskonia, he wanted me here in the Canary Islands. He knew what I was capable of, we had chemistry. I really like his style of coaching and playing.. It was a golden opportunity to succeed. I had other offers, but I didn’t hesitate for a moment. Sometimes you have to let your intuition guide you. 40 years old on May 25. Would you have imagined such success and such a long career? I couldn’t have imagined such a career. When I was starting out, I used to see players who were 32 or 33 years old retiring. And I thought that if I made it that far, I would be happy. I was lucky not to have injuries that made me lower my level, it allowed me to get here without thinking about my age, with the illusion of starting every season. Everyone talks to me about age, but I’m still with the same head. Until my legs can’t take it anymore…. My head helps me to give one more little push… What makes you go on… I’m driven by trying to strive for perfection and improve every day.. The moment you stop doing these things, you stop competing.

FIBA At one point in his career he radically changed his diet. It was in 2017, when he returned from the NBA. My wife and I began to read a lot on the subject, to watch documentaries. Little by little I was giving up meat, milk, foods of animal origin. I was doing tests, it was not easy to change traditions and customs and find those foods that give you the same amount of nutrients that you need to continue. And at the energy level, the protein you need. I had to look for vegetable food sources, seeds. And it was not an overnight change to day: I followed up with a nutritionist of vegan athletes in Brazil, because it is something very delicate for the athlete. Last year he was MVP of the Champions League final, a few days ago he made 43 points to Murcia. What are the keys to its longevity? I try to take maximum care of myself. I worry about looking for the best tools to be at my 100% physically and mentally. rest, nights. I also work on a mental, psychological level, with coaching, meditation. And yoga when I can. Everything that can be done to add up, to learn. But what moves everything is the illusion, getting up every day with the desire to continue enjoying basketball.it is no longer so rare to see athletes performing above 35.People are beginning to take seriously not only the issue of food, also the care off the field. Look at tennis with Nadal, Federer, Djokovic…. It’s a trend and it starts to happen when you reach the age of 30, when you see that you can start to go down. Until you’re 30, you go out, you have a drink and your body doesn’t notice it so much. I used to love meat, cheese… from time to time I have a craving and I try to isolate myself. I’ve created a lifestyle and I don’t think I’ll ever have the same diet I had before, even when I retire.. Yes, if I feel like eating something special someday, I will. But I find it difficult to go back. What I did was good not only for the sport, but also for my personal life. You are close to Pablo Laso’s ACB record for assists. Does it motivate you? So many records… a very long career (laughs). These are things that come naturally to you. When you start playing you don’t think about any kind of record. You think about doing what you like and doing it well. Do you remember when you arrived in Spain in 2004? It was a radical change, from Brazil, from a league with a completely different style to Europe. Having Aíto as my first coach was an incredible learning experience.. I had a hard time adapting to the game. I was more aggressive, I only had the vision to score. I had to learn to play differently, to lead, to manage the tempo of the game, to get everyone involved. It was not easy. Thanks to those first years with Aíto, with Elmer Bennett, with Ricky even though I was 14 years old, with Carles Marco…. They helped me. Surely many of the things I know today are thanks to them. How did the passion for basketball come to you in Brazil? Coming from a country where soccer is the king of sports, you have to have some history behind you to play basketball. In my case, it runs in my family. My older brother already played. I wanted to be like him.. I would go to see him at practice, steal his balls…. We had a basket in our room. I was passionate about it from an early age, at six years old I was already in a basketball school, Athletico Paulistano. And from that day on I never stopped, until I reached the NBA at the age of 32, I wanted to try it, but it was never easy because of contract issues. And I was comfortable, both in Baskonia and Barça. The experience was incredible, because of everything the NBA represents and playing in the biggest basketball franchise in the world. Wearing the Lakers jersey, playing at Staples, seeing the trophy case every day. Players from the Showtime era came. Byron Scott as coach, James Worthy and AC Green would help us in practice. I thought, “If I tell anyone that these guys are rebounding for me to shoot, they won’t believe it! It’s crazy!”. For a kid who came out of Brazil, getting to make his debut with the Lakers was crazy. That last farewell tour was goose bumps every game, I had to hold on so I wouldn’t cry at every tribute they paid him. And the last one… He had a very open, peculiar relationship with me. Sometimes he spoke to me in Spanish, sometimes in Italian. And never about basketball. It was surprising. We had already crossed paths with the national team, he knew me. It was a special year. In sports, with ups and downs. Because the NBA is not all it’s cracked up to be. Many times it is more of a business than a sport. My minutes were limited.From your country we get a permanent political crisis, the Bolsonaro scandals. Does it worry you?I follow politics quite a lot, I like to be aware of everything that happens, not only basketball. Everything that can influence my personal life or that is interesting. Brazil is going through a delicate moment politically and of course I worry about it. I have my family there, my parents. Finally, what does Marcelinho want to be when he grows up: a basketball player, maybe? [Laughs] I think I have a coach inside, but I have to think about it, because it involves a lot of things on a personal level. When the time comes, I will think about it calmly. It will be difficult for me not to be involved in the world of basketball in some way.