Spanish Basketball Players Marta Alsina and Álex Huguet Reflect on Their International Success in the 3×3 European Cup

Marta Alsina and Álex Huguet are European 3×3 runners-up and members of the ideal teams of the tournament held in Greece last weekend. Already in Spain, with the calm of after the competition, they explain to us the memories of their first great international success.

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They are two names to point to for the future. Both for 3×3 and 5×5 basketball. Quality, versatility, intensity, competitiveness… they have all the characteristics of a good 3×3 player. Back in Spain they take stock of the two silvers won in the 3×3 European Cup in Crete.

Álex Huguet assures that he has “a great experience at a sporting level, learning from my coaches and my teammates, but above all the memory is personal: all the friendships I have made with my team and even with other teams.” Marta Alsina also talks about “the atmosphere on that track, which was incredible, and our staff transmitted spectacular energy and passion to us. And also finishing with a silver medal means an achievement that I will always carry with me.”

They are 17 years old and have faced their first international competition. Plus, 3×3 doesn’t give you any respite. After two first phase matches, Sunday’s schedule was intense. From 6 pm to 10 pm the quarterfinals, semis and final are played, with just over an hour between matches. For a first-year junior player it is a brutal experience. Huguet assures that “we live with a lot of intensity, with a lot of nerves. But once he starts you don’t think about anything but competing. “3×3 requires physical and mental demands, because during the game emotions are variable.” Marta Alsina defines that feeling as “a roller coaster of constant emotions. From the night before, when we had a hard time sleeping, until after the last game, when we still weren’t aware of what we had done. During the game we wanted to have a very high pace and not have fatigue influence us or have it influence us less than the opponent. And that is what failed with France, and they took advantage of that.”

But looking back, the summer of these two young promises has been worth it. If the progression of young people improves with the competition, 2023 will be important in their future. Alsina claims to have lived “amazing experiences. We started in Voiron where I had a great time and where we had a very good tournament and got a passport to the European Championship. Then they called me for the U18 World Cup. I didn’t expect it, but it made me very excited. It is true that they are players who are a year older and have teams from all over the world, and on a physical level they were tougher games. And the summer ended with this European Championship, the most intense experience and with a better result. “I think I have grown as a player and as a person.” Something similar says Huguet that in her case the summer has had “three concentrations in Madrid, the Pre-European in France and the European in Greece. A hard and intense but very satisfying path. And I think it has been reflected in the results.”

They are already deep into the 5×5 season, with no time to rest. But in these three months they have changed their perception of basketball. Marta Alsina recognizes that “3×3 is engaging; Firstly, because all the players are important on the court, and it gives you many opportunities to demonstrate your ability. And secondly, because of the good atmosphere, making a team with so few players adds a lot to the experience.” For Álex Huguet “it is a different modality, more intensity is required in less time and decisions have to be made constantly. I like it and I think it suits me well. “It has helped me improve tactical aspects, one-on-one, and to mentally control my emotions.”

2023-09-27 00:24:08
#exciting #medal #words #protagonists