TENERIFE (Spain) - "Home away from home." How often have you heard such a sentence? Because it does sound like a cliché. You really need to feel "at home" to call a place "home," indeed.
When it comes to Tim Abromaitis' affection for the island of Tenerife, cliché drastically turns into long-time memories he has been keeping in his mind and heart, with shades of black and yellow.
Could it all be written in the stars? At the end of the day, his father Jim chose Spain to begin his professional career after finishing his five-year cycle with the UConn Huskies, and he stayed for one season in Real Madrid.
But stars can be admired way better far away from the continent, with Tenerife surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean's waves.
"When I first came to Europe, I was hearing him talk about his overseas experience. Ultimately, it was a much shorter career in Europe than what I've had," La Laguna Tenerife's 35-year-old veteran spoke to the Basketball Champions League website.
Yes, his father's career in Europe was definitely shorter than his: one year in Spain, one season with Trieste in Italy, and two Turkish campaigns at Eczacibasi.
Tim Abromaitis started it in France, at ASVEL and SIG Strasbourg, before trying out Germany in Braunschweig. Three years, three different teams; that's one of those cases where it's difficult to consider one place "a second home."
Everything changed for him in 2015, packing up his bags not only to visit the actual owner of the island, the Teide volcano, but to stick around in Tenerife.
"There are moments where you kind of want to get off the island and experience something different. But making a home for myself and making this my comfort zone here is something I didn't know I'd be able to do in Europe."
Escape and return for incredible opportunities
One place has to be truly special for you to make it your own for four years, experience something different for three years, and then eventually come back. Especially if that's not your actual and familiar fireplace.
But that's what has happened to the sharpshooting forward, one of the most versatile and important assets for Tenerife in the past decade.
Fans on the island and generally basketball people will remember the club before Tim Abromaitis and the club after Tim Abromaitis. That's how close-knit and strong his connection has been shaped over the course of the years.
"I'm familiar with basically all of the island now, with so many people here. It's something where I don't have to go and meet new people every year, change my situation. I am with who I want to be with, and do my thing here," he comments.
"I did leave for a few years, but I was super happy when I had the opportunity to come back here three years ago. I'm just trying to make the most of it."
He first got his feet wet by the Ocean at the Playa de los Gigantes from 2015 to 2019, winning the Basketball Champions League in its inaugural 2016-17 season and being named into the competition's Star Lineup First Team in 2018-19.
Then, an "incredible opportunity" arose, and he couldn't miss a train departing to Russia and higher changes of making it further in overseas basketball.
"When I left, that's what it was for me in Zenit. But even still, it was hard for me to leave the team here, leave the island, and go out to face a new challenge," he recalls getting away from Tenerife.
"It was a great experience at Zenit. Same in Malaga; I had two great years there, an incredible experience," he also touches on his two-year experience in Unicaja.
During his second campaign with the team, which have now made it to their third consecutive Basketball Champions League Final Four, they had to surrender to BAXI Manresa - which ultimately lost in Bilbao to Tenerife, champions again.
"I was always following the team. I was missing it when they won the championship in 2022. It was great to see them experience that success, but I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to be on a championship team, and unfortunately, we didn't get there with Malaga, and we haven't gotten there the last two years either."
Three years after coming back, Tim Abromaitis will experience yet again the shining possibility of coming out on top.
"But I think we have a chance to do it this year, and I'm really excited about the opportunity we have in the Final Four," he says.
"Being able to come back to Tenerife was something that I dreamed would be able to happen. It worked out for me that I had the opportunity, and they wanted me back."
Other than an extremely high level of affection for the island, its people, and the real feeling of being from Tenerife, Tim has always been proud of his closeness with the basketball club, aiming for even more success down the road.
"This has really been such a special experience, and I've been here so long that it's become like home for me. I've been really lucky because it's a great organization."
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish alumni still stands on top of the list for most games played in the history of the Basketball Champions League, and the vast majority of them have been in the black-and-yellow jersey.
Teammates of his like Aaron Doornekamp (97) or Bruno Fitipaldo (102) trail him, alongside Vojtech Hruban (101) and Linos Chrysikopoulos (103).
But Tim has no concurrency with the biggest mark, having stepped onto the court in the competition on 113 occasions. The reasons behind such an accomplishment mainly rely on what Tenerife means to him, without any doubt.
"I've had Txus [Vidorreta] for most of my years here, and it's been a really stable situation both for me and my teammates," he comments.
"There have been a lot of guys who have continued for a bunch of years. It's really a good situation for me, and just a good process that the team has been following here, which ensures that it'll keep having success. I'm just glad to have been a part of it."
With that being said, it hasn't always been this easy for Abromaitis.
"I remember when I signed back one of my first years, the first time I was here. The whole world and even the coach coming in, who wasn't Txus at the time, thought that I wasn't going to be like a starting-level player or have as big of a role in the team," he says.
"I remember thinking, 'All right, even several years into my professional career, people are still doubting if I belong here and what role I belong here.' I still remember that feeling. It's not the only time I've been doubted, and it's something that professional players are constantly facing."
"But I still remember that moment and thinking that this was another chance to prove myself. I tried to take those challenges head-on."
"That year was one of my best years as a professional. It wasn't necessarily a failure, but it was definitely a motivating moment and something that pushed me forward."
The perfect season? Not yet
Starting the 2024-25 BCL Regular Season on the road for three straight games was a challenge; having a meeting from the past against BAXI Manresa in the Round of 16 was a challenge; even facing a fearless Bertram Derthona Basket in the Quarter-Finals was a challenge.
But Tenerife overcame them all.
They're entering the BCL Final Four, powered by SUNEL, waiting for the Semi-Finals against Galatasaray in Athens on a perfect 14-0 record.
"We kind of put it in our heads from the beginning of the season that reaching the Final Four is our goal, and we always look back on that. This is another step towards our goal, and we have to bring it every night or else we can lose any day in the Basketball Champions League," Abromaitis comments.
If they beat both the Turkish Lions and, two days later, whoever advances between AEK Betsson BC and Unicaja, they will become the only team in the history of the competition to finish a full BCL season unbeaten.
"In any season, there's going to be ups and downs. It's hard to say there are too many downs when we're 14-O this year," he admits.
But there were, indeed.
"I think there were challenges like when Fran Guerra got hurt; he was very important, he was having an incredible season. And his ankle didn't cooperate with him. That was a big loss for us. But Gio [Shermadini] is playing a lot better now."
"We signed Ibou [Badji], and he's another presence in there. Konstantin [Kostadinov] has played super solidly when his name has been called. Another moment was in Manresa when I wasn't there, I just had a baby the evening before, and Gio was kicked out of the game in the first quarter," Abromaitis remembers.
"It was kind of a moment where the team stuck together and leaned on one another, won in a tough environment in Manresa. That was something that helped give us confidence. Even though we've won all the games this year, there have been a lot of them where we snuck out the victory in the end and were in a tough position."
"It definitely hasn't been easy, and there have been days when we didn't play our best games. There's been a bunch of games like that where we just had to pull together in the fourth quarter," he comments.
"Motivation hasn't been a challenge. We've known we'd have to fight every day, and we've worked to put ourselves in that position. We trust that even if we're in a tough position, we can get out of it and find a way to win."
That's the key: one way or another, deep down, you know Tenerife will find a way to come out with the victory. They have been proving it so many times.
Especially if the core stays together - only adjusting a few pieces like bringing in a German scoring killer like David Kramer - and the boat sails even when there's a storm around, guided by two masterminds.
"The group mentality that we have of being able to lean on one another and having a leader like Marcelinho makes it a lot easier for the rest of us. Txus and his staff always prepare us so that we go into any game with a good chance of winning because of our preparation and the group of guys that we have."
Starting from Txus Vidorreta, who was the only one out of this season's group still present for Tenerife's first Final Four, alongside Tim Abromaitis and Aaron Doornekamp. The head coach is behind the whole Canary success.
"I think tactically he's the best coach maybe that there is. There's nobody who knows the Xs and Os and how to prepare for different defenses, or what we have to do on our defense. He always has a game plan that's clearly articulated."
"He’s a chess master in that way, he knows how to put the pieces; but he also has a good feel for the guys and when to push on people and when to back off a little bit. It shows in the success that he's had that if you're just a tactical guy or if you're just an instinct guy, you're not going to have all the wins that he's had," Tim comments.
Eager to go at it, once again
If there's a chess master on Tenerife's bench, Txus Vidorreta's smart basketball ideas are displayed on the court too by his Brazilian projection. At almost 42 years of age, Marcelinho Huertas will contend once again for the BCL title.
"It's incredible. Incredible isn't even a strong enough word. It's insane just to witness it every day."
"Even in practice, he's competing at the highest level every day. It's so cool to watch him and see him go for a pull-up and think 'it's going in.' You already know before he shoots it, that's going in. It's automatic."
Just a reminder for whoever has slept under a rock for the past few years and hasn't witnessed the magic delivered on the court by the Brazilian mastermind, week in and week out: Marcelinho's turning 42 years old on May 25. 42!
Let us repeat it: 42. And he’s out there, dragging one team to contend for the fourth straight time in the Mecca of Basketball Champions League action.
What will you do at 42? Which kind of person will you be, and what will be your everyday goal?
"It's funny because just today in practice, a few of us were having a conversation around what we're going to be doing when we're turning 42 years old. I know none of us are going to be doing what Marce's doing," Abromaitis answers.
"He's totally one-of-a-kind, but he's worked so hard, he puts in the preparation every day and takes care of his body, takes care of his mind. He has incredible determination and focus. It's just been incredible to witness and be a part of the team with him."
That's not only Tim Abromaitis paying lip service. First of all, because he wouldn't need to: his legacy speaks for itself.
And secondly, because without Marcelinho's rocket pass in his angled direction, there wouldn't be a Tim Abromaitis Corner.
"Even since college, I've kind of been comfortable in the corners. The way we play, so much of our offenses through pick and roll: Marce and Gio are machines, and you know that they're going to produce out of the pick and roll," he opens.
"But if teams focus on that, then that means there's going to be openings for the other guys on the perimeter. I've always been able to knock down shots from the corner, and I've worked on making plays off the dribble from the corner too. I think it's just one of the pieces that fits into our system as a team."
"We move the ball so well that I know that if I'm in the corner and I'm open, the ball is going to find its way to me. I just have to stay ready and play my game from the corner: I'm totally comfortable doing that," Tenerife’s forward continues.
As he has mentioned, his ability to knock down shots from the corner has always been there, from his college days. He only needed to express it perfectly, thanks to short-roll passes by the Georgian center of majestic dishes by Huertas.
Just like that evergreen characteristic of his game, Tim Abromaitis believes he hasn't changed that much anyway, in any sense. Physically, at first.
"I've been really lucky to stay healthy. That's half the battle is how you're feeling physically. I've been lucky to maintain myself pretty well."
And mentally, surely.
"I've gotten older, but I think I still have the same energy and the same will to go after it. I want to win this championship like I wanted to win that first one."
Indeed, the first one. How does he feel about it, looking back in time?
"Champions League has grown a lot since that first season. Obviously, it was new to everybody that year, so we didn't know what to expect. The whole league was getting a feel for it that season," Abromaitis remembers.
"We were lucky to put it all together and make a run, finish in that Final Four with the championship. It's great memories, but I think it's tougher now. It's a deeper league where on any night you can lose; there are no easy games."
"I think that first year we won some games pretty easily, and that doesn't happen at all now. Now, looking at this Final Four, it's totally open who can win this. It was tough for us that year for sure, but I think it's even tougher now to be a Final Four Champions League winner," he concludes.
The toughness of this challenge is self-explanatory, as they will first need to get over an unpredictable side like Galatasaray in order to come back to the Championship Game on May 11, in Athens.
One thing is sure: there will be black and yellow all over the place, and that can bring a home feeling to Tim Abromaitis. Not a Waterbury, Connecticut type of home feeling, but Tenerife's, as he planted roots on the island.
Growing seeds on his corner, with black sand and reminiscences of ancient volcanic eruptions as the perfect soil.
Another Basketball Champions League golden success and its memories could emerge as the most appetizing of fruits.