Quevedo presses the pause button on Olympic dreams
MATOSINHOS (FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship 2016) – Putting your dreams of a potential first trip to the Olympics on hold can’t be easy and yet that’s exactly what Laura Quevedo is trying to do.
MATOSINHOS (FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship 2016) – Putting your dreams of a potential first-ever trip to the Olympic Games on hold can’t be easy and yet that’s exactly what Spanish sensation Laura Quevedo is doing as she contemplates leading her nation at the FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship 2016.
While always a high level performer down the years at youth level for her country, Quevedo has taken her game to a whole new level in the last 12 months and has crashed onto the centre of the radar with both club and country.
Her career is now soaring to unprecedented heights and the forward has a good shot at making it to Rio. She will also excitedly count down the days until she makes her EuroLeague Women debut during October in the wake of a recent high profile move to Liga Femenina champions, Perfumerias Avenida.
Much of her rise to prominence was initiated during a breakout tournament at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship in Russia last year and winning the FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship on home soil in Lanzarote. It proved to be a springboard to even better things, as she took her scintillating form into the Spanish League, which in turn, sparked a senior team breakthrough and a spot at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
"Honestly, the last season was the best I've ever had," smiled Quevedo.
"The last 12 months from that FIBA U19 tournament until now has made me gain a lot of confidence in myself and helped me face up to my first professional basketball season – it was one which I eventually felt very comfortable with.
La Selección estará en #Rio2016 Felicidades a todos especialmente a nuestra Doctora Carmen León y a @LauraQuevedo_9 pic.twitter.com/Sh5sd8Qfs6
— Juan Díniz (@JuanDniz1) June 17, 2016
"It was such a big challenge to play with the senior Spanish team because of the high level of all my team-mates. But I am very lucky to have had the chance to share a locker room with incredible players, who are not only important in Spain, but are also high profile in both Europe and right around the World. I also feel very grateful for learning from Coach [Lucas] Mondelo and his staff."
She continued, "It’s such a dream to be in the team and Nantes was amazing because we had a goal in mind which was to classify for the Olympics in Rio and we achieved it. It was very satisfactory to reach our goal with such hard work and consistency.
"However right now, I am 100% focused on Matosinhos because it is my last-ever European Championship at youth level and I also want to do the best for me and for my team-mates. We want to have a great memory of this competition and I am pretty sure I’m going to miss this period of my life, because we have shared so many moments and experiences with this group of people who have become my friends."
Quevedo and Spain will be keen to defend the title they won last year and are searching for what would be an astonishing fifth Final in six editions.
"We expect to grow as a team and keep working hard in order to feel more comfortable with our style of play in this tournament," she mused.
"We have very physical and talented teams in our group and we have to work hard from the beginning. We think that in order to be successful, we have to trust our style of game and our identity, because it is what gave us success in former championships."
[OFICIAL]Una brillante realidad para @CBAvenida ,BIENVENIDA @LauraQuevedo_9 #bienvenidalaura https://t.co/npSa3Lz9iE pic.twitter.com/xYMFPxfFrs
— Perfumerías Avenida (@CBAvenida) April 29, 2016
If Quevedo has a sense of summer loving flowing through her veins, she may get to enjoy European winters a little more too, as she now also ponders igniting her club career at the very highest level.
She said, "It was such a surprise when Perfumeries Avenida called for me as it’s an honour to know that the best Spanish team wants you.
"I didn't take too long to decide, because I think it’s a great opportunity for me to grow as a player and as a person.
"Moreover, it will be my first time playing EuroLeague Women as a professional player and I think that everyone who has signed to be on the team are all great players and very experienced. For this reason, I really believe we can have a great season in 2016-17!"
Spain will open up in Matosinhos against Poland in Group A and will also face an exciting derby with Portugal and then a match-up with Division A rookies, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
FIBA