Izabela Nicoletti: one of the CBB's great projects for the Brazilian national team

RIO DE JANEIRO - A few days away from returning to the courts, Izabela Nicoletti is already planning an important season. The 19-year-old player born on August 9, 1999 is, without a doubt, one of the more promising names in Brazilian women’s basketball.

Proof of this is her success in the American high school that opened her the gates to Florida State University, a top institution that opened its NCAA First Division doors to the Brazilian player.

This favorable performance also gave Nicoletti the opportunity to get to the Brazilian national team. A call by Bruno Valentin, national Brazilian teams director, invited her to debut with the senior team at the young age of 15, and follow the footsteps of players that made history in Brazilian basketball, such as Hortência Marcari and Maria Paula Gonçalves da Silva.

Her first appearance with the senior national team was in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship for Women in Edmonton, Canada, where Brazil arrived fourth.

“It’s a feeling I’ll never forget, wearing the jersey of the Brazilian national team was a dream I've had since I was a child. I don’t have words to describe the feeling,” said the player that was a key member of the U-17 national Brazilian team in 2015 and 2016 in declarations to the Brazilian Basketball Confederation (CBB).

The 5’7” shooting guard of the 2015 and 2016 Brazilian Olympic team also took the U-16 to winning a silver medal in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico, after scoring 24 points against the United States and then losing in the final by a mere point against Canada (72-71).

While undergoing the final recovery stages of a knee injury that she suffered during off-season training sessions, she stated: “It was all a very difficult period, I learned a lot. I'm very happy and anxious to return to the courts.”

“I believe God knows what he's doing, so having that in mind I use this injury as a learning experience. I'm focused on my future and on the things that are to come. Many people were at my side. All the FSU technical commission, as well as my family; particularly my mother, my father and my sister,” she added.

Nicoletti’s beginnings in basketball where when she was very young; she used to accompany her four-year-old sister to practices and games to watch her. “When I turned five, I decided to start playing,” she said.

“I want to help my university to beat records and I want to be an essential piece within the team. As for the Brazilian national team I want to wait and keep training for when the time comes to be able to contribute with the team and focus on getting that Olympic spot,” she added.

One of the most difficult moments of her career was when she had to leave her family in Brazil and move to the United States. “At the moment I didn't speak any English and I had to go to school and live with an American family without really being able to communicate during the first months,” the player added.

Iza is an example for many boys and girls that play basketball from a very young age. “I love being here in the court, so when I have a bad day I go to the gym and I practice my shots while listening to music. Sometimes, I take a walk in the park,” she pointed out.

“Buying a house for my family, helping poor children in Brazil and returning educational opportunities to the kids that live in the favelas;” these are some of the dreams that the young player hopes to achieve through basketball.

FIBA