Gui and Marcio look to grow together with Brazil's National Team
SANTA CRUZ DO SUL (Brazil) – Gui Santos and Marcio Santos, who already put on explosive performances at youth levels and might soon turn into key contributors to the South American team.
SANTA CRUZ DO SUL (Brazil) – There have been many dominant duos in basketball throughout the years and in every era. Many times, having two stars in the same team makes the road to success that much easier. Brazil currently has the chance to play together a couple of youngsters that have already left their mark on the court and that in a near future could turn into a feared tandem. We're talking about Gui Santos and Marcio Santos, who already put on explosive performances at youth levels and might soon turn into key contributors to the South American team.
Gui (forward) and Marcio (center), both 19-year-olds, are part of head coach Gustavo Conti's squad as they head into the sixth and final window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers, where they'll face Puerto Rico and United States at home in Santa Cruz do Sul. This will be the first time they share the court for the senior squad, after being part of the team for the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers.
Do Camp @FIBA / CBB em outubro de 2019, em Campinas, ainda como dois atletas do sub-17, para a Seleção Brasileira adulta e parte da renovação do basquete nacional! @guisantos_4 #MarcioHenrique
— Basquete Brasil - CBB (@basquetebrasil) February 23, 2023
Vamos com tudo, molecada 👊🏻@AmeriCup @FIBA_es pic.twitter.com/jfSBFLuinw
Years earlier, they were together at the 2019 FIBA Americas' Youth Development Program Camp in Campinas, Brazil, and went on to win the U17 South American Championship that same year in Santiago, Chile.
In that event, Gui averaged 17.0 points per game and scored 27 in the final against Argentina, while Marcio averaged 15.5 points and 9.8 rebounds and was named MVP after dominating the gold medal game with 23 points and 11 boards.
After that excellent showing at the youth level, Gui and Marcio became the region's top prospects and are set to lead the next generation of Brazilian basketball.
At the pro level, they've notched accomplishments simultaneously. The 2.02m-tall Gui had a great showing with Minas at the domestic level and was chosen by the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. He currently plays for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G-League, where he's averaging 10.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in 34 games.
Meanwhile, Marcio has a key role for Sesi Franca, the wildly successful leader of Brazil's NBB (24-0) that is also undefeated (6-0) during the Group Stage of the Basketball Champions League Americas. At the domestic level, he's averaging 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds, and 9.8 points and 5.0 boards in BCLA.
FIBA