Ver Online The Best Of Brent Everett

In the 80 Italian basketball was a benchmark. It was for the clubs, for coaches, for players and journalists, especially to advocate the change came in 1983. Two years later, our league and also was a league with two foreigners per team playoff (the two main demands of the model imported Italian) but the Pallacanestro still had a large cache.

One evening we decided to Miguel Angel Fornies closer to the old flag in Granollers live to see one of the best Italian teams of the moment, Indesit Caserta, who visited the Cacaolat in Korac Cup match and that Bogdan Tanjevic two military training extraordinary South American players: Oscar Schmidt Brazilian and Uruguayan Horacio López Tato, an escort all claw, "great" as he always Miki. We wanted to make a joint interview with both, because they were one of the most explosive couple of European basketball.

after the match we headed to the locker room door Indesit, and ask to speak with them. Players aside, the Italian club did not know that Tanjevic physically, so we headed to whom we first met there. The surprise was that it was the mother and sister Tato Lopez, who were traveling and tourism in Spain had used to reach Granollers to greet his son. Then we were approached by the team coach and head coach of the club's youth, who did not know. It was called Franco Marcelletti , and he took care of Oscar and Tato ask that we attend.

While waiting to come out of the shower were a good time chatting. Exchange our phones, we promised to keep in touch, to bringing us all numbers New Basket , send him from Caserta all Italian basketball videos we asked .... Thus began what eventually came to be an excellent relationship.

Months later I was in Caserta, I met his family, and for many years it was not one in which either he or I phone you a few times, especially at Christmas, a habit that we lost, largely because of me -. Franco was also a few times at home. One of them, on their way to a Copa del Rey a season that was without a team; in another, she came to Manresa to see in action a pivot studying American sign (and signed: Warren Kidd). Many years after we met in Granollers, when my first daughter coincided with one of his trips to Barcelona and came home with a precious gift.

Franco is a sensational type that when left Tanjevic Caserta took the reins of his hometown team and a staff consisting mainly youth players and two high-level U.S. pivots ( Charles Shackleford and Tellis Frank ) won the scudetto. It was the first time a team from southern Italy was proclaimed champion. He did also in the fifth game and Milan, and one of their core players ( Vincenzo Esposito ) injured. We phoned a few hours later, he was euphoric and I very happy for him, of course.

years before that great success, in 1986, with Franco still Tanjevic assistant, I traveled a couple of times almost consecutive Caserta. One of them, because of the Cup Winners Cup final to Barca faced with Scavolini, which Barca won with a sensational performance Mark Smith . It was the case two days later, also in Caserta, was to play the first leg of the Korac Cup final, which had Tanjevic team arrived and Franco ("Indesit at the time, Mobilgirgi? not remember) and Bancoroma. So I stayed to see that game also.

I spent almost the entire previous day with Franco, he was in charge of opening all doors of your computer. I took all the training, to know the residence of young players (which were Gentile, Esposito , Tufano, Rizzo ...) and, above all, I was introduced to Oscar Schmidt. I did an interview for New Basket , of \u200b\u200bcourse, but best of all was to attend the final week of training before the party.

When the team went to the shower, Oscar stayed on track and soon showed his wife, much shorter than him, though. Just a couple of kisses, another couple of minutes of respite ... and pull. I witnessed an intensive training field goal, from all positions, a prodigious wrist. Oscar launched this afternoon about 300 or 400 shots, not told, but many, surely. It started with the free throw line, went from four or five meters, the board and directly to the basket, then stood behind the line of 6.25, and finally, when it seemed that there was no longer any shot of pulling, went to the center the track and from there tried launching at least 50 more. Not fun, but really as training, claimed to have tested mechanics in a game if, at the edge of the speaker, had the need or opportunity to make a shot like that, which of course now worth 3 points. If it was the case, did not want it thoughtlessly shot to see if he blew his flute, but a real opportunity to score. Nothing impossible poque of those 50 got some ...

Throughout this session of shots, his wife was in charge of collecting the ball after every pitch and pass it immediately, so that Oscar re-release. It goes without saying that collected under the hoop, because most of the shots came clean, without even touching the iron.

Oscar

a gunboat was not exactly by chance.
- What do you think? He asked when he finished.
not remember what I said or whether I answered. I was speechless.

not easily basketball history know of another notebook in its class. Of course, also had detractors who complained of his defensive performance. But Oscar was for all of your teams virtually unstoppable offensive action for the opposition. In the decade of the 80 became one of the top scorers of world basketball. In Europe we started to get up close when in 1981 he landed in Caserta and Tanjevic designed the game to attack your computer to your wrist almost infallible. But in Brazil it was almost a myth, since making his debut for his country just 16 years old. In addition to the tons of points scored throughout his career (32.9 per game only in Italy and 42.3 in the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988), Oscar was included in the the NBA draft in 1984 by the New Jesey Nets, since 1994 holds the record for triples in a game scored in the Liga ACB (11) and in 1996 became one of only two Players who took part in no fewer than five editions of the Olympic Games. Virtually

was the leading scorer in all competitions in which he participated, and in fact it is considered more or less formal as the leading scorer in the history of basketball.

Besides all that, perhaps few know (and only a few remember) when first crossed the pond in 1981, with a little luck could have been diverted Oscar a few miles and have landed instead in Badalona in Italy. The first offer was of European basketball was Cotonificio, looking for a wing shooter and abroad (as only foreign team at the time). Please try not to stay. But soon after he got in between the then Phonola, and economic differences between the two club were abysmal. Caserta club was not even a big (it began to be precisely Oscar) but the Spaghetti Circuit was far beyond the possibilities of an entity as the Coto. So Oscar went to Caserta, and Aito had to content (although neither was too bad) with Brian Jackson .

THAT AFTER MANY YEARS LATER in Caserta, in the wake of Oscar by the Forum, a friend that has nothing to do with the basketball world was a business trip to Rio de Janeiro and one night, dinner at a restaurant, found a couple of tables away was having dinner also Oscar. Approached him, asked for his autograph and told him that was my friend. Oscar always treated him with exquisite warmth and memories sent me on the back of the card you signed ... I do not know if it really reminded me, what I have done a lot of illusion, or did it just to look good.

must have been a couple of summers later when the Forum held in Valladolid a preseason game against Flamengo, where the fans pucelano paid an affectionate tribute to the great Brazilian gunboat. The then technical director of the Forum, Oriol Hume (with whose brother had I shared desk at school) asked me to write a brief comment on Oscar for the speaker of Pucela he read during the ceremony. I did love it.

do not know if Oscar came to know that what you heard over the PA that night wearing my signature, but it matters. Nothing more enjoyable than writing just one page dedicated to an athlete and a person so extraordinary.