TENERIFE (Spain) - Hearing his name called up and getting on the stage of the Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre of Athens, Marcelinho Huertas had bittersweet feelings.
Sure, he was just named once again into the All-BCL First Team - the Star Lineup - alongside AEK Betsson BC's Hunter Hale, Galatasaray's James Palmer Jr, Unicaja's Dylan Osetkowski, and Bertram Derthona Basket's Ismael Kamagate.
But the night before, he just wasn't enough for La Laguna Tenerife to extend their unbeaten run in the Basketball Champions League, falling short in the Semi-Finals against Galatasaray.
Then, his name got mentioned again in a video featuring opponents and teammates, all celebrating his legacy and spelling three letters: M. V. P.
"I might sound like a broken record, but I feel like it has to be Marcelinho. When you think of what he's been able to do this year, the IQ, and how he approaches every single game, what he does for his team night in and night out, is truly commendable, whether he was 41 or 21. It's truly commendable," Kendrick Perry said.
"I'd probably say Marcelinho Huertas: he means so much to that team, and he does so much for the team. They're always good, every year," Tyson Carter followed.
Then, it was time for his teammates. More specifically, two of the closest ones in Tenerife, creating the fondest memories all together.
"He's clearly the leader of our team; he's the guy who everyone follows. He can have a day off. He doesn't have many of them, but he always has the same mentality, the same preparation, the same drive that pushes us forward. He's a machine, and I love to play with him. I have to give him that credit," Tim Abromaitis said.
Asked if he would have expected the Brazilian point guard to be named the first-ever player in the history of the competition to be named back-to-back Basketball Champions League MVP of the Season, Aaron Doornekamp gave a sensible answer.
I wouldn’t be surprised.
Same, Aaron.
Just a couple of weeks before turning 42 years old, with another season locked in his contract, Marcelinho Huertas made history again. Unblinkingly.
Marce, the teammate
Once receiving for the second straight season the best individual award in the Basketball Champions League, doing it in consecutive fashion after overcoming the 40-year boundary, tears dropped, and emotions flew out.
Another legend of European basketball, like Theo Papaloukas, was appointed to deliver him such an achievement, and for once, Marcelinho was the one receiving a dime.
But only a few moments after realizing he was just named the first two-time Basketball Champions League MVP of the Season, he immediately gave credit to the ones surrounding him night in and night out.
"A lot of times, Gio [Shermadini] and I mostly get the flashes, but those guys do an outstanding job every day. Without having these kinds of players in our team, we wouldn't be able to achieve any of this success," Huertas tells the BCL website.
"We've got to be so grateful. We have this group of guys who are doing a lot of things that are not in the statistics, but they do an incredible job for us to be able to be in this situation. We're just lucky to have guys who know basketball, fit the system, and are just super effective in everything they do."
Guys like Tim Abromaitis, for example, who decided to come back to the island following a short three-year escape. And he found a treasure in his point guard.
"[In order to be the MVP] you have to be on a winning team. You have to be a leader of that team. You have to be the driving force of that team. I think we have one of those guys on our team," Tenerife's #21 also comments.
Another forward who left the Canary Islands to come back stronger, and alongside the veteran playmaker is Aaron Doornekamp, by birth, the closest to Marcelinho.
When the Canadian-born 39-year-old expert speaks about the Brazilian master of Tenerife's control room, he's in a very relaxed and laid-back mood.
His voice gets calm. That's probably the kind of confidence Huertas instills in his teammates.
"The biggest compliment is that we sort of expect it. We're not surprised."
"We've come to expect him to have these games, and you're more surprised if he doesn't do something spectacular. You might watch him from outside and think, 'Wow, that was incredible.' But for us to say that he's got to do something insane, because we see him, he makes things look so easy and so nonchalant."
"The defense gives him that pull-up? And he's like 'Let me make that pull-up,' you know? It looks like he sort of has the game in slow motion. The biggest compliment is that we're not surprised anymore when he has incredible games; we are sure that Marce is going to play well, and we've got to figure things out around him," Doornekamp says.
Before the Semi-Finals, where he still finished with 18 points in the loss to Galatasaray, he proved once again his uniqueness in the two-game stretch against Derthona.
The biggest compliment is that we sort of expect it. We’re not surprised. I'm not surprised when he shoots a one-footed pull up and makes it 90% of time. I expect him to do it because you see him do it every day in practice. You see him do it regardless of the defense.
"He averaged 21.0 points and 11.0 assists in the Quarter-Finals. When I look at that, I understand those are really good numbers. But during the games, watching from the sideline, I'm not like - Oh my goodness, he's incredible today."
"That's no disrespect to him. It's just that he does it so often. That's the Marce I know every day. And that 'every day' can be in practice, in a game, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Finals. It's nice to have him on our side," he comments.
While they can enjoy having him around for at least one more season, it's likely possible we could see him enter the same route as his countryman, Tiago Splitter, down the line.
Who wouldn't want to witness Marcelinho Huertas, the coach?
Marce, the (future) coach
Bilbao has always been the cornerstone of Txus Vidorreta's career. That's where he was born, where he started to shape himself into the future successful head coach he eventually became, and where he collected a priceless win back in 2022.
But Bilbao will never be forgotten by Marcelinho either.
Obviously, because he lifted the Basketball Champions League trophy in the Miribilla Arena, but also because 15 years earlier, he laid the foundation of a majestic trajectory from the control room.
"I had the opportunity to coach Marce for the first time when he was young and still trying to make his mark in the world of professional basketball, although he had already shown good things in Badalona, at Joventut," Vidorreta opens.
"In Bilbao, it was his first big season. I think that marked us both because it was also my first great season in ACB; we had done very good seasons to climb categories, but we had never shone so much in the ACB, and we enjoyed our time so much."
Indeed, that was the first flashing star of a long-time shining galaxy.
At 24, the Brazilian asteroid had definitely landed in Spanish basketball, considered one of the best playmakers of the whole domestic league - one of the toughest in Europe.
"Ever since we got together back in 2008, we created a very good chemistry and it worked out to perfection since day one in Bilbao," Huertas remembers.
Txus and Marcelinho's paths separated them after one season, but their roads reunited in 2019, once his second experience in Baskonia ended.
"When we got reunited here in Tenerife, it seemed like we knew we never got away from each other. I think we clicked right away once again, and we were able to compete in every competition every year," Marce continues.
"I convinced him to join me again in Tenerife, and we've been together for six years now. I think it is a path that we are both pursuing with great enthusiasm. I started as a young coach in Bilbao. I am an experienced coach now; he was a young player at 24 years old, and he is now 42," Vidorreta looks back at their adventure.
We live every game and practice with the same enthusiasm as at the beginning.
After years of dominance both individually and on a collective note, finally this season they managed to collect the most coveted individual awards in the competition: MVP of the Season, and Coach of the Year.
"He's proven to be one of the greatest coaches not only for this league, but I think in Europe as far as knowing basketball," Marcelinho reacted after the BCL Awards Ceremony.
According to the back-to-back BCL MVP of the Season, his merit also relies on building chemistry each and every year with different faces.
"Being able to keep a good core, but also bringing new pieces, and also raising the bar every year after year: he plays a major role in it," Marcelinho proudly says about his head coach at Tenerife.
At the end of the day, what they have been able to create is a special bond and connection, where the 42-year-old Brazilian point guard is the reflection of the experienced Basque tactician on the bench.
They speak the same language.
"It's very important to have an open channel between the point guard and the coach to exchange information; not only during practice, but also during the games. Sometimes we can see and feel how some things cannot be working on both hands on the court, giving him a little insight into what we think could work," Marce says.
"He respects and understands that sometimes we can give it a try. I have this freedom to not only talk to him, but also to my teammates, making adjustments during the game. Sometimes, this can be helpful."
"I'm not saying it's going to work 100 percent of the time, but it's really important to have the trust of the coach. We trust the stuff he gives us on a weekly basis, preparing for the game. I think we're all comfortable, and we know what we have to do on the court. One hand washes the other."
Txus Vidorreta can only confirm.
"It's true that I rely a lot on his decisions. I used to be much more involved in drawing plays, even during the game. That changed with time, and since I have Marce, I practically only frame the plays in timeouts. Usually it's a 50-50," he says.
"Sometimes I mark, sometimes he marks. I can say we want to play this specific concept, but it's the point guard who marks and makes the games much more fluid."
While this speaks volumes of not only the amount of confidence instilled in Marcelinho Huertas but also of his basketball IQ, it could also be a sneak preview of his future - not only on the wooden floor, but from the sideline.
"He's definitely ready to coach. Someone said he already has some offers, not only to play, but also to coach. He has one more year in his contract, so in that regard I'm very relaxed; he hasn't told me that he's tired or anything," Vidorreta reveals.
"In every season, he shows he still has it. He's got a few years left in basketball, at least the next one."
Luckily for all of us, Marcelinho won't stop competing anytime soon. That's a privilege, considering how tough his competitiveness is.
He’s definitely ready to coach. Someone has said that he already has some offers, not only to play, but also to coach. He has one more year in his contract, so in that regard I’m very calm; he hasn’t told me that he’s tired or anything. In every season, he shows he still has it. He’s got a few years left in basketball, at least the next one.
Marce, the competitor
As previously said, coaching is only something destined for the future of Marcelinho Huertas, who - barring any unexpected surprises - will turn 43 years old still with the ball moving around his magic hands.
Considering he played his first professional game back in the 2001-02 season, he would be close to 25 straight seasons on worldwide courts. Quite a legacy, isn't it?
"I don't really stop thinking about the journey and what I've done. I only try to do my job on the court every year and think only about the next game. I live in the present and I only try to focus on what I can do right now," he says humbly.
"I think someday maybe I'll look back and understand what I've done and see it with different eyes."
"I don't like to keep going back and saying, 'We've done this, we've done that.' Time won't stop, and the challenges come so quickly: you have to be able to face them, being prepared and focused for what's coming."
If you haven't understood it already, Marcelinho Huertas isn't stopping anytime soon.
"I think my goal right now is to keep looking forward. That's the only way of succeeding when you are ready for what's coming," he commented.
It's a journey that will continue to be painted in black-and-yellow, still on the same island, still with the same waves clashing on Canary rocks and cliffs.
Since he got accustomed to back-to-back individual awards now, it could also be a journey topped by another icing on the cake in 2025-26, dreaming of another BCL MVP award.
At the end of the day, this season he doubled it in the Spanish Liga Endesa as well.
Being named the Most Valuable Player of a tough international competition and arguably the best domestic league in Europe in the same season is extremely challenging.
Find a better adjective yourself to describe doing so at 42.
"There are so many cool memories, tough wins. Everything we had to go through to be a successful team. For sure, there are great moments on and off the court. We've had such a great group of guys throughout the year," Huertas looks back.
"We were able to keep the core for so long with so many guys, been here for four or five-six years. This is just special for us. We value every win, every day. We go out together on the court, and we know how much we mean to each other. Whenever we step on the court, we know we're going to have somebody else's back."
Among those precious moments, there's one that is topping everything.
Once again, the cycle of memories returns to Bilbao, where he started to shape himself as a successful point guard not only in the ACB but on the whole continent.
"Lifting the trophy for Tenerife in Bilbao was a very special moment. It's always a pleasure and an honor to be part of this final phase. We know how hard we have to work through the season to reach the final competitors, and how hard it is. We take a lot of pride in what we do to be here, year in and year out," he mentions.
Regardless of wins or losses in May, they have been constantly making a name for themselves at this stage, whether it's the classic Final Four format or the Final Eight played during pandemic times.
"It feels like every year it's like tougher and tougher to get to the final stages. There are more teams that have high potential and are setting the bar high. Obviously, we want to play in the final and win a trophy, but at the end of the day, only one team can win. All the other 31 teams have to, somehow, enjoy the ride also."
Have you ever seen somebody with such a killer mentality, still getting it down every single game with a smile on their face?
If not, Marcelinho Huertas must be your answer. He’s enjoying the ride, as he said himself.
Whether that means not stopping to play and becoming even more eternal than what he has managed to become now.
Whether he will move to the sideline, replacing Txus Vidorreta, or competing against him as coaches.
Whether he will step back, and instead of pulling up from the midrange, he will observe his hardware, looking back at MVP achievements and the team's victories.
Marcelinho Huertas is the exception to the rule.
Basketball's Benjamin Button.