Coming of age for Spanish young gun Marta Xargay

NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) - One of my most vivid memories of the EuroLeague Women season so far was the look of indignation on the face of Marta Xargay when she turned the ball over down the stretch in Schio after being called for a push-off.
 
It was a crucial moment in the context of a tough play-off series and while by no means the sole reason defending champions Perfumerias Avenida crashed out of the competition in Round 2, it was nevertheless a pivotal moment. Not only for the club, but especially for the young guard who is one of the rising stars of EuroLeague Women and no doubt a nailed-on member of the Spanish national team for many years to come.
 
All players experience highs and lows during their time on court but both those highs and lows can have a fundamental adverse effect on young players in particular. Whether it is allowing success to go to their heads by experiencing too many highs too soon or allowing disappointments to crush their confidence, many talented young  players have crumbled and never recovered to fulfil their potential.
 
Xargay has had lots of pressure to deal with. She has had both sides of the coin to contend with in terms of attaining enormous success with the superb silverware winning Salamanca team and also the crushing disappointments of being both dumped out of EuroLeague Women ahead of a historic Final Eight and suffering with the surprise elimination of Spain during the initial phase of EuroBasket Women last summer.
 
There was also the additional factor of being handed huge responsibility at the start of the season after Avenida cut their budget which saw the departures of superstars Alba Torrens, Sancho Lyttle and notably for Xargay, the club's backcourt duo of Sylvia Dominguez and Anke De Mondt.
 
So, it is within this context of basically playing as a 'senior' player for the first time in her career that I tip my hat in absolute admiration for one of the most committed and gutsy performances I have seen from a (relatively) young player in recent years as she helped her team be crowned Spanish Cup champions over the weekend.
 
I have absolutely no idea whether the disappointment of what happened in Schio a few weeks ago was giving her some additional motivation, but I thought Xargay was absolutely outstanding in the success against Ros Casares, firm favourites for the Copa De La Reina and also EuroLeague Women frontrunners.
 
The intensity and desire of Xargay to win that game of basketball and perhaps make amends for not reaching Istanbul and Final Eight was palpable. In fact it was a whole more than that, it was like you could just reach out and touch it.
 
For anyone who didn’t see the game and just glances at the stats, you will be forgiven for labelling me as crazy. After all, Xargay shot a mediocre two of six from the floor, had three turnovers and no steals.
 
But, you will just have to believe me or perhaps look at the time she was handed by head coach Lucas Mondelo (26:28) for an indication of her value in this game. She epitomised the vibrancy of a team looking to make amends for their EuroLeague Women disappointment and also the notion that just sometimes, the stats completely fail to tell the story. Her contribution screamed 'intangibles'.
 
Xargay was everywhere and played with the kind of fearsome aggression at both ends of the floor which I truly hope she can continue with moving forward. Whether playing defense or making decisive moves to the hoop which got her to the line plenty of times, it was wonderful to watch.
 
For sure, Brazilian centre Erika De Souza deserved the MVP award for her double-double against her former team (she was almost uncontrollably pumped for this one too) and Marta Fernandez also caught the eye but when the final buzzer sounded, it was all about Xargay for me.
 
You also have to give huge credit to Coach Mondelo too. After being denied the opportunity to defend their EuroLeague Women crown, he has managed to pick his players up off the canvas to deliver a spectacular knockout blow to their arch rivals.
 
And, with specific regard to the 21-year-old Xargay, the way he has handled her reminds us of both what a great coach he is and exactly why the Spanish Federation trust him to deliver success at U20 level.
 
Meanwhile I have little doubt Ros Casares will hit back and could yet finish top of the EuroLeague Women podium but for the next few days at least, I don’t think anybody can deny Perfumerias Avenida revelling in this richly-deserved success.
 
As for Xargay, it’s a case of more of the same please Marta - because that was so much fun to watch and it’s always great to see a young player take a huge step forward.
 
Hearty congratulations.

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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