By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The FIBA Intercontinental Cup is coming our way on February 15th from Rio de Janeiro. Carioca Arena 1 will hold the games of the revamped Final Four format. Flamengo will host Basketball Champions League title holders AEK, the FIBA Americas League winners San Lorenzo and the NBA G League Champions Austin Spurs. The must-anticipated games will give the four clubs the chance to add pages in the history books of the storied competition.
In the past, many legends have played in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Hall of Famer Oscar Schmidt, who finished his playing career as a Flamengo player in 2003, helped his country’s Sirio become FIBA Intercontinental Cup Champions in 1979 pouring 42 points in the decisive double-overtime win over Bosna. Back then, five teams competed in a round-robin format and the Brazilian team secured first place on October 6th with a 100-98 victory following the 88-88 tie in regulation and the 92-92 score after the first period of extra time.
It was a game for the ages played at Sao Paulo, one of the first big performances from Schmidt who went on to enter legendary status becoming one of the top players in basketball history. He was the 131st pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, but never played in the NBA. He was idolized by many future basketball greats, set scoring records that will never be broken, won several championships in Brazil, South American club and National Teams competitions and is considered one of the greatest players not to play in the NBA.
He always wanted to help the Brazilian National Team and until 1989 NBA players weren’t allowed to play for their country in FIBA competitions. However, being in Europe didn’t cause any such issues. After leaving his mark in Italy and Spain, he returned to Brazil in 1995 and played the four final seasons of his career with Flamengo up to his retirement in 2003. The Mengao were one of the four teams that retired a jersey in his honor, #14 shortly after he called it a day.
Schmidt was the Brazilian League’s top scorer the last eight years of his record-breaking career, four of those years he put his final touches on his scoring records with Flamengo. He averaged 34.9 points in 2000, 33 in 2001, 34.8 in 2002 and 33.1 in 2003. However, he never got his fourth Brazilian Championship as Flamengo was the runner-up in 2000 and eliminated in the playoffs quarterfinals stage in his other three seasons.
Afterwards, in 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, Fla did rise to the top of Brazilian basketball. Besides their first six domestic titles, the Brazilians also won the Americas League and the Intercontinental Cup in 2014. Schmidt legacy’s led them to glory and his heirs now have the chance to double-up their success in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup playing in home soil from February 15th to February 17th.
AEK will be the only European club in Brazil. The Greeks, Cup Winners’ Cup champions in 1968, FIBA Saporta Cup holders in 2000, eight-time Greek Champions, four-time Greek Cup holders and defending BCL champions, joined the FIBA Intercontinental Cup for the first time, but also have their share of legendary players and coaches to display. Giorgos Amerikanos might top the list, but to name a few Kurt Rambis, Ibrahim Kutluay, Joe Arlauckas, Arijan Komazec and Rolando Blackman also played for the club.
Kresimir Cosic, the second international player inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and inaugural member of the FIBA Hall of Fame, was the Queen’s head coach in 1988-89 and returned for second and final tenure from 1990 until 1992. His vision was to gather the top talented players available, but financial issues never left him achieve his goal. He led AEK to the Cup Winners’ Cup quarterfinals in 1989 and to the Round of 32 stage of the Korac Cup in 1991. He went on to work as a Croatian diplomat in the United States and died in 1995 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
During his playing career from 1964 to 1983, he was a member of Zadar from 1964 to 1969, left his mark jersey-retiring mark in BYU from 1970 to 1973, returned to Zadar from 1973 to 1975 and also helped Brest Ljubliana from 1976 to 1978, Virtus Bologna from 1978 to 1980 and Cibona Zagreb from 1980 to 1983. He was a center way ahead of his time with the ability to play in multiple positions due to his vast understanding of basketball.
He was the first foreign All-American player, aided in many big Yugoslavia National Team moments, won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1982, also rose to the top of the Yugoslavian League six times and was Italian Champion in two other occasions. Following his playing career, he coached Jugoplastika Split, Yugoslavia and Virtus Bologna before he took over AEK.
After his death, in the Greeks reached the EuroLeague Finals in 1998 and won the Greek Cups in 2000 following two runner-up campaigns. They were also the Saporta Cup Champions in 2000, repeated their Greek Cup success in 2001 and returned to the top of the Greek League in 2002. The title drought that followed ended last year with the Greek Cup and Basketball Champions League triumphs, the latter also led them to the upcoming FIBA Intercontinental Cup.