Carrera will go down in the history books

"A marvelous performance by Michael Carrera in all aspects, not only in points but in rebounds, which was very important. He showed attitude and sportsmanship throughout the entire game, so what he did was amazing.” Who said that? None other than Venezuela's coach, Fernando Duró. And that's a fact because Carrera made 33 points (12/15 in 2PTs, 2/3 in 3PTs, and 3/3 in free throws), 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. If that weren't enough, he scored 13 in the decisive fourth period when he missed no shots, and the Venezuelans were able to bring the game around, defeating Argentina, 74-68, as visitors, and for the first time in their history.

Carrera’s score production made him a part of a select group of players that scored 30 or more points with the Vinotintos. Yván Olivares (five times), Sam Shepherd (four), Gabriel Estaba (five), Arcadio Silva (one), Víctor David Díaz (ten), Pedro Jiménez (one) and Héctor Romero (one) surpass him in the ranking because they scored more than 33. Meanwhile, Armando Palacios (one), Armando Becker (one), Cruz Lairet (one), and Leopoldo Bompart (two) are behind Carrera.

The evening's star, however, portrayed his humility after the conquest. "These are things that happen (in the game), which is why basketball is so beautiful. My teammates were able to locate me, and I could place myself in free spaces to throw at ease. Besides, I scored some unexpected shots, even for myself. I was on fire. Yesterday was my day, but Sunday could be Néstor Colmenares', Gregory Vargas', or whoever’s."

The 27-year-old small forward knows that he played what, up to now, has been the game of his life, although he points out that it wasn’t perfect: “I missed four throws, right? But I did score many key shots. I had the confidence and the maturity to do it, and I did. The ball was my best friend, and I helped us to get the victory, which is, definitely, the most important thing."

Venezuela had lost against Argentina at the start of the second phase of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. With that defeat, the team missed its chance to move on to the quarterfinals. For Carrera, this win was just the beginning of the path toward the FIBA AmeriCup 2021, and was a certain type of payback: “We wanted to overcome that blow in the World Cup and focus on winning. We knew it was going to be a very tough game because Argentina is a great team, even though their top players weren't there. They have a way of playing that we need to acknowledge, particularly due to everything they've done as a national team in the past twenty years.”

The victory in Argentine soil inspired Carrera to make a special dedication: “Every day I work for my family, for God, and to try to give joy to the entire Venezuelan people. I'm thankful for the people that in Argentina help us Venezuelans that have left our country for whatever reason. Many of us had opportunities in Argentina, and we value that very much."

Venezuela has a roster with many players that won the 2015 Tournament of the Americas. But now, they're close to saying farewell to the national team. Now, Carrera is standing out as one of the leaders of the generational rebuilding process: “Some of them we’ll miss a lot because they're already thinking about leaving. But they’ll stay with us because they deserve it. They're an essential part of a team that gave everything it had. Now, Fernando Duró is giving me the chance to be important in the team, and that gives me a lot of confidence. We have to look beyond this win, and my 33 points are now in the past."

No matter what happens in the future, Michal Carrera has already written his name in the history of the Venezuelan national team.

Pablo Cormick
FIBA