Marcelo Nicola's big opportunity

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Marcelo Nicola's time to lead a basketball team has finally arrived.

This week, Spanish top-flight side Murcia promoted him to the role of head coach.

A tough, high-scoring player in his prime with Argentina and giant clubs in Spain, Greece and Italy, Nicola will now try to show that he can pull the right strings in practice, and from the bench during games.

Nicola, 42, entered the coaching profession several years ago as an assistant at one of the clubs he played for, the now defunct Benetton Treviso.

He joined Oscar Quintana's staff at Murcia in the summer of 2012.

Murcia, struggling in the Liga Endesa with just five wins in 16 games, parted ways with Quintana and bet on Nicola.

For those who think he isn't the man for the Murcia job because he has no head coaching experience, he has an answer.

"In life," Nicola said, "there is always a first time for everything, and you don't buy experience at the supermarket.

"Coaches like Xavi Pascual (Barcelona) and Joan Plaza (Unicaja Malaga) have had a first time as coaches without experience."

Nicola picked the two best examples of first-time head coaches to have success in recent times.

Each won immediately upon being appointed.

Plaza, after several years working as an assistant at DKV Joventut Badalona to the late Manuel Comas and Aito Garcia Reneses, moved to Real Madrid and served as Bozidar Maljkovic’s No. 2 for a season.

Real then put Plaza in charge before the 2006-07 campaign and he guided the team to glory in the ULEB Cup (now Eurocup).

Plaza left Real after a few campaigns to lead Cajasol Sevilla for three years, and last season coached BC Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania.

He is in his first season with Unicaja Malaga and doing well in Spain and the Euroleague.

Pascual replaced Dusko Ivanovic at Barca at the end of February in 2008 and has since led the club to titles in the Euroleague, Spain and the Copa del Rey.

He's been in the job ever since.

Nicola will find it harder to win at Murcia than Plaza and Pascual did when they got their chance, though.

Murcia are minnows in Spain while Real and Barcelona are giants of Europe with star-studded rosters.

"Each person has his own resources and we will try to squeeze them to the maximum," Nicola said.

"I have to speak to the players, try to lift the morale, work every day and try to recover the freshness.

"All of the players need to lend a hand, whatever I ask of them, whether it's a lot or a little."

Nicola is different to Plaza and Pascual in another way.

He was a player.

With his national team, Nicola made his mark.

He travelled with Argentina to the 1994 FIBA World Championship in Canada and averaged almost 18 points per game.

Spanish fans may remember that their national team, one that had some true greats like Juan Antonio San Epifanio (Epi) and Jordi Villacampa, and current national team boss Juan Antonio Orenga, fell to a Nicola-led Argentina in that tournament.

Nicola had 20 points and seven rebounds in a 74-65 win.

He also played at the 1996 Olympics and the 1998 FIBA World Championship.

The Houston Rockets had selected Nicola with the 50th pick in the 1993 NBA Draft but he never played in the league.

When I interviewed Nicola in 2008 at Benetton, he was humble and content to be cutting his teeth as an assistant coach.

Last year, when I bumped into him after a game in Valencia, he was happy to be working as an assistant to Quintana, saying he was "a fantastic coach" to work for and "learn from".

But one could also see Nicola’s competitiveness, and know that he was close to becoming a head coach.

"When I have the opportunity (to be a head coach), I'll try and be ready," he had said.

That chance has arrived.

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

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