RIGA (Latvia) - In the first post-game press conference of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Riga, all eyes were on Bruno Caboclo.
Breaking Montenegro's spirit to give Brazil an inaugural victory in Latvia, he went off for 25 points and 9 rebounds. But with both Raul Neto and Yago Santos conditioned by bothersome injury situations, someone else was needed to boost Caboclo's energy at the rim.
That's why Aleksandar Petrovic was also asked about Marcelinho Huertas' impact after that opening win.
"This year, it's a strange story with Marcelinho. He wasn't supposed to be with us", Brazil's head coach first stated. "I didn't want to press him, a guy who's 41, with a wonderful family and three kids, who's coming off an unbelievably successful season with Tenerife", he added.
"I didn't call him at all", Petrovic continued before revealing the backstory. "Suddenly, seven or eight days ago, he called us and said, 'Coach, I'm ready to come back'. I can only say chapeau to Marcelinho because he helped us in an unbelievably difficult situation. Another time to say thank you to our captain", the Croatian tactical master continued.
That was only the beginning of the umpteenth decisive tournament by the Brazilian icon. A guy who has always put humbleness and hard work before everything. With a "brother from a different mother" by his side.
Those were tears of joy
Brazil's path to Paris 2024 wasn't easy. At all. Each time they were considered the best team on paper - either against Montenegro, Cameroon, or the Philippines - and yet they found themselves with their backs to the wall starting the game. Forced to run after the opponents.
In one of those surprising turn of events that basketball often provides, Brazil entered the showdown against Latvia as an underdog, fighting not only the 6th-ranked team in the FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike, but the sold-out Arena Riga. And it was a quick turn of events.
Brazil outscored Luca Banchi's team to begin the encounter with a massive lead, making it rain from beyond the arc with perfect shooting from the three-point line. From Bruno Caboclo's unbelievable buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter, it was only a matter of controlling the lead and avoiding Latvia's expected comeback.
Emotions were all over the place as soon as the final buzzer sounded. The Latvian climax of sadness, disappointment, and pride emerged from the stands; on the court, Brazil's uncontrolled party was on the other end about to begin.
Marcelinho Huertas and former-teammate and now-assistant coach Tiago Splitter found each other naturally. They pointed at each other, the former on the court scoring the last layup for the final 94-69, and the latter jumping out of his seat in the coaching staff area.
It looked like that hug lasted forever. Almost like the two Brazilian basketball brothers were trying to get back with memories of their long and eventful past together. Marcelinho Huertas tried to put those emotions into words in the mixed zone right after.
"It's been a long journey. It's just emotional to be once again with him. I know how much he suffered when he had to stop playing before the 2016 Olympics in Brazil", he told FIBA.
"Circumstances weren't easy for me, it was a last-minute decision to come back and join the team a week before the tournament", the 41-year-old point guard followed confirming his head coach' opening press conference backstory.
"I've always had a lot of pride wearing this shirt and I felt I deserved a better ending than last year, so it was very emotional", he also said heading to his second Olympic Games after playing along the five-interlaced rings at home in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago.
Ruled out of the Olympic appointment at home with a hip injury before his second-to-last-ever professional season, Tiago Splitter can breathe that special smell once again. Despite celebrating it from the bench and not dancing at the rim, he's still one of those guys.
"Me and Marcelo is more than just playing together, or I'm coaching him. It's a big friendship. Maybe this is the reason he's here. He was trying to help us. Marcelo is a friend, a brother I've always had from another mom. He's special", Tiago Splitter said afterwards.
You can't make 43 up
At every Basketball Champions League (BCL) Final Four, ACB-record-broken occasion with Tenerife, or summer appointment with the Brazilian national team, Marcelinho Huertas gets asked if that would be the last time everybody will witness his magic.
Each time, the answer goes toward the passion that fuels his tank, which has never been empty. Whether next to Tiago Splitter in that deadly pick-and-roll connection or in any other circumstances, the skillful point guard always brought magic to the wooden floor.
"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", Tiago Splitter told Eurohoops some months ago.
It may sound crazy, but he won't stop delivering his abilities. While Paris 2024 could finally be the icing on the cake of a 20-year trajectory with the national team, he's still eager for more talking about club basketball.
That's why La Laguna Tenerife, confirmed for the 9th season in the Basketball Champions League Regular Season, announced the 41-year-old playmaker's two-year contract extension with the black-and-yellow jersey.
This means Marcelinho Huertas will play until turning 43. Considering his birthday is on the 25th of May, he could eventually celebrate even more hardware to add to his trophy-full cabinet. Postponing retirement has never looked like a better choice.
FIBA