By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
We don’t talk about football around here, but one thing is certain: when you look at somebody playing it with number 9 behind their back, that’s probably going to be a striker with the natural ability to score in his veins. In basketball, the same type of person could be doing it as an accessory.
That’s what brought Marcelinho Huertas up since the early days: the same number on the jersey, but a certain naturalness in making the others able to score, rather than collecting field goals himself. A little less than four months left to his 41st birthday, however, something has slightly changed.
While still keeping the level of his assisting expertise high – also thanks to off-the-screen shooters like Sasu Salin and the newly arrived sharp scorer Kyle Guy or to a P&R master like Giorgi Shermadini -, this season has been the best one in 23 years for the Brazilian in terms of scoring in European competitions.
After last week’s impactful win over Peristeri – where he recorded only the second-ever double-double of 15 points and 15 assists in Basketball Champions League history -, the 40-year-old playmaker is now averaging 14.5 points and 9.1 assists in this year’s competition, with 59.3% from two-point range.
These are numbers he never really had throughout his career, which also saw him perform on the EuroLeague stage for nine years with Joventut Badalona, Barcelona, and Baskonia. Numbers who made him enter the BCL Team of the Month alongside players who are all 10-15 years younger than him.
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Words of praise from some other veteran experts
What surprises everybody the most, other than the fact that Marcelinho Huertas is playing his best-ever basketball with Lenovo Tenerife this year, is that he still keeps going, loving the game – even in practice.
Tiago Splitter, who knows him very well for the decade spent together with the Brazilian national team, had nothing but praising words for his friend at the EurohooPOD. “He’s a magician of basketball. He sees the game differently, and he has seen all the possible situations. He’s a big professional, the ultimate pro: he’s all about his family and taking care of his body”, he admitted, sharing love.
His countryman kept going. “That’s Marcelinho [Huertas] right now, and I’m proud of him. We grew up together on the national team, playing many years together. I know exactly how he is and what he thinks in every moment. He’s special, another guy who’s going to be a coach for sure. I’m all love about him. He helps develop all the guys in the team, leading them by example and with his voice. He’s doing more than 18-year-old kids. He deserves everything he’s doing right now”, Tiago Splitter added.
He wasn’t the only one, as Tyrese Rice also took some time to talk about the Brazilian magician’s success over such a large span of seasons. “Talking about Marcelinho [Huertas], shoutout to him for his longevity: it’s amazing to see how he moves around the court still. I love to see that from him”, the former Maccabi Tel Aviv guard commented in the EurohooPOD about the current Tenerife’s leader.
Coming out third in last year’s Basketball Champions League Final Four in Malaga, it looks like he wants to add some other gold to his cabinet, which can already count on the 2022 BCL trophy and Final Four MVP, other than multiple Intercontinental Cups and ACB titles.
🤔 Is it really 𝑾𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒅𝒂𝒚 if @Huertas09 doesn’t make a crazy shot?#BasketballCL | @CB1939Canarias pic.twitter.com/DY6LdYvfR4
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) January 31, 2024
An imperishable home in the Basketball Champions League
Moreover, Marcelinho Huertas and his team can now count on the best place in the history of the Basketball Champions League in terms of securing home-court advantage: with the latest win over Peristeri, Lenovo Tenerife has now won 18 consecutive BCL games in the Santiago Martín Arena.
Waiting for the most-anticipated clash of Week 3 in the Basketball Champions League Round of 16 against Hapoel Jerusalem, which also started such a phase with back-to-back victories against Peristeri and Pinar Karsiyaka, Txus Vidorreta’s team has also beaten Baskonia in the ACB, with 18 points and 6 assists coming out of some magic Brazilian hands.
This couldn’t have been possible without one of the best assist men in basketball’s history, who has also turned into a fearsome scorer in recent years. Wherever this year’s Final Four will be, Marcelinho Huertas has that place in mind, trying to put a golden candle on his 41st birthday cake.
🏰 𝐋𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐚 is an impregnable fortress: Lenovo Tenerife have overtaken Monaco for the 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 in #BasketballCL history! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UVKSDVV9jR
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) February 2, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League