BRA - Huertas yearns for Oscar Schmidt times

MAR DEL PLATA (FIBA Americas Championship) - Marcelo Huertas was only five years old when FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Oscar Schmidt scored 338 points in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games for a historical average of 42.3 per game.

However, Brazil’s point guard remembers it perfectly well.

“I really remember Oscar playing the Olympics and scoring madly,” said Huertas. “When Oscar was fit he was amazing. I have never seen someone like him ever again.”

Schmidt played in five Olympic Games and was the top scorer in three of them.

After Leandrinho Barbosa withdrew from the team for this summer's tournament, Huertas took on more responsibility as the leader of a Brazilian team that appears to be one of the most serious contenders for an Olympic spot.

“It’s a dream for all of us to be part of an Olympic Game. Actually, none of us have ever played one and it has become our biggest goal when we put on our national team’s shirt,” added the Barcelona Regal player," he said.

Brazil have not made it to the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament since 1996.

They are off to a good start at the FIBA Americas Championship after beating two dangerous teams, Venezuela and Canada, to join Dominican Republic on top of Group A.

If Brazil book their spot for next year's Games in London, Huertas will be sure to make the most of the experience.

As an Olympic fan, he tries to watch every sport.

“I like swimming, all the individual sports we never watch apart from the Olympics and volleyball of course,” confessed Huertas, who played only five minutes in the 2007 FIBA Americas qualifying game lost to Argentina.

“We have the ambition to clinch the Olympic spot but we have to win as many games as we can to avoid Argentina in the Semi-Finals.

“We don’t have to get to anxious and just think on our next game," he cautioned.

FIBA