Ballers come and go. Those that hang about longer than most, tend to get looked on fondly. Marcelinho Huertas gave us another reason to do that for Tenerife on Thursday night. His roll back the clock display against FC Barcelona in Copa del Rey is why we love old dudes.
This corner hasn’t exactly been shy of its love of players late in their careers over the years. Whether it was Pau Gasol fighting pain to deliver an epic or Jermaine Turner bringing old man power, it resonates. The feeling is similar in defeat, whether it’s the fight of Dimitris Diamantidis in his final ever game or Kieran Donaghy delivering the best 0 point outing I’ve ever witnessed.
BallinEurope, as a website, loves old guys. Basketball, as a sport, loves old guys. Sports journalism, as a sector, loves old guys. Marcelinho Huertas is the old guy of the moment. He’s using it to shine brightly.
Stepping up
Anyone who has kept even a cursory eye on the Basketball Champion League would know that Marcelinho Huertas is still that guy. He has averaged 15 points and 5.8 assists in Tenerife’s perfect 7-0 start to the season. This is his his sixth season with Tenerife and he remains their key man at the age of 41.
That he went out and dropped 22 points along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists against FC Barcelona shouldn’t come as a shock. He did so while setting a new record as the oldest ever player in the competition’s history. It was also the first time Tenerife ever beat the Blaugrana in Copa del Rey.
This is the tenth season since Huertas left FC Barcelona. At the time, he honestly looked to be slowing down. Well, we got that wrong. The following season he’d become the second oldest rookie in NBA history before returning to Spain a couple of years later. There have been so many times that it would have been perfectly normal for Huertas to call it a career. Instead, he went and won the BCL MVP last season and is a contender again this year.
The three stages that matter
Explaining why Marcelinho Huertas doing so well at this age resonates so much comes back to our nature as humans. We are attracted to stories and there are three key acts in a typical athletic career. The early days are when we become enamoured with something new and exciting. What can this young talent do? What will we see from them?
Then comes the prime. Narratively speaking, this is arguably the least interesting. It’s when we know the player is who they are. They’re at their best and we somewhat expect a certain level from them. The doubt and uncertainty that drives interest in a story isn’t as present. In essence, despite being at their best, the player needs help to drive interest. This could be a change in team or an injury comeback. Something to switch the narrative up is needed to maintain interest.
Then comes the third act. With it comes the return of uncertainty. We know what they were capable of but can they still do it? When they do, like Huertas did for Tenerife against FC Barcelona on Thursday, we rejoice. The fight that remains, the ability to go that extra step despite the years, resonates.
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Relatability matters
Sports fans grow up supporting teams and following players. The thing is, that second journey starts over and over. We find new players to relate to. Age catches up on us. I was surprised while writing yesterday’s piece to realise Breanna Stewart is already 30. Then there’s someone like Lev, for whom Dario Saric became their interest in part because of timing [https://youtu.be/A-0WxzG2w64?si=9s_acWv3qyZXzi7n].
There are many stories to follow. Some we stick with throughout, others we dip in and out of. It’s having something that reminds us of ourselves or our own situations that generates relatability. We all age, at least until Crispr changes that. We can all relate to how our bodies change, how stuff hurts in a different way as we get older.
It is easier to relate to a young person finding their way than someone in their prime who appears to know what they are meant to do. We never entirely lose the former because we always have to try to figure things out. It’s easier still to relate to someone like Marcelinho Huertas. He may be more athletically gifted than anyone reading, or me obviously, but we know what it’s like to have to adjust. We’ve got to find new ways to still deliver as we once did. That’s a story anyone can relate to.
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We want to know the ending
Marcelinho Huertas is a lot nearer the end of his story than the start. This will likely be his last ever Copa del Rey. We want to know what he and Tenerife can do. The end of the story matters no matter how it goes.
With Diamantidis, having Vasilis Spanoulis hit the decisive shot over him, it was like he was getting permission to stop. Alternatively, there’s the Hollywood ending like Alberto Herreros. Even Matt Le Tissier scoring the last goal in the Dell or Alberto Tomba’s last victorious ride as La Bomba gets us. Granted neither of those are basketball but we always seek another case of a denouement that works.
Whether it is one final joyous embrace or a noble effort in defeat, we yearn as beings to know how the tale ends. Huertas isn’t finished writing his yet but we are eager to follow these final chapters. Here is a Caesar, when will there be another? That’s an easy story to follow.
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