NBA Latest News 2022: “If we win the Cup, we tattoo the Alhambra”
Erik and Sergi Quintela were fans and homegrown players of the Breogán River and now they come to the cup tournament with the illusion of messing it up, starting by eliminating Madrid.
First they were fans, then youth squads and now first team players. The brothers Erik (Lugo, 1991) and Sergi Quintela (Lugo, 1996) have sucked the Breogán River since they were little. For this reason, participation in the Copa del Rey with their lifelong club is so special for them and for their whole family. But, having achieved a goal that seemed unattainable a few months ago when they were fighting for promotion precisely in Granada, they dream of giving the bell. To begin with, they will face Real Madrid tomorrow in the quarterfinals.
Ask. Who was going to tell him? Did you imagine this a few months ago?
Sergio. At the beginning of the season I didn’t give a damn for us to get into the Cup, really.
Q. The last time Breogán played the Copa del Rey was in 1990. Neither of them had been born yet. Are they very young or is that a long time ago?
Erik. A bit of each.
S. Erik was requested [he was born in 1991], but it is very shocking.
Having been fans and academy players of ‘Breo’, being in the Cup is something unique
Sergi Quintela, escort of the Beogán River
P. Is this achievement more special for two boys from Lugo who have been amateurs and youth players?
S. It makes it unique. Our grandparents went to basketball, they were already members of Breo. It is something historical. For us and our family it is the most.
E. It is that we were babies and our parents already took us to the pavilion to be in the games. They put it in our veins since we were little ones.
P. Did they start playing very soon?
E. My father was a big fan of Breogán, but he played soccer. Where we lived there were some municipal schools and we went there since we were little. I started when he was five or six years old and Sergi since he was a baby. They had a small basket there and while I trained there the guy left with his ball.
Q. Who were your idols?
S. Charlie Bell was a reference for all the people of Lugo. He made us more hooked on basketball. To be able to see a player live who was so spectacular… It was incredible, like seeing Curry before Curry arrived. And having my older brother and seeing that he dedicated himself to what I liked and that he did what I wanted to do, well, he was also another of my main references.
E. Well, Sergi wears 42 because of Charlie Bell. I grew up watching Michael Jordan. He had my shirt growing up and he was always my idol. I wear 23 for him.
P. They are not the typical canteranos that are filling quotas. They have their weight in the team: Erik plays 11 minutes on average and Sergi, 16.
S. Yes. It’s very good. Paco [Olmos] gave us a lot of responsibility, he trusted both of us a lot. And both with Javi [Muñoz] when he was there and now with Veljko [Mrsic] we continue like this. It is a luxury to be able to play quality minutes. A few months ago we did not think so.
E. We have gone from being promoted and it was all unknown and from thinking if we could play quality minutes in the Endesa League to seeing that we could do it and prove it. Performing and helping your team do well is a great thing.
Q. How do you see the Cup? Are they going to make as much noise against Madrid as they have done so far in the Endesa League?
S. You never know at a match. Obviously, Madrid is one of the best teams in Europe right now. What you are doing is outrageous. Until recently he had lost three games in the entire Euroleague. We’ve also had the bad luck that he’s lost some in recent weeks and they’re going to be angry. We still pay for the broken dishes.
E. The good thing is that, since we play on Thursday, we have more time to rest for the semifinal [laughs]. Someone said it out there.
S. We go with the illusion of not just going for a walk, but to compete, do a good job and make things difficult for them.
E. We know that we have a mountain in front of us. We go with all the illusion, which is what is breathed in Lugo regarding the Cup, but also with the ambition to do something great. As Sergi says, it’s a game and you don’t know if they’re going to have a bad day and you’re going to have an incredible one and you can get your hands on them.
We have a mountain in front of us, but we are going forward with enthusiasm and with the ambition to do something great
Erik Quintela, base of the Breogán River
Q. And where can you get your hands on Madrid?
S. Honestly, there are no flaws in them. In the league game, you saw things that maybe they did less well, but they still do it at a very high level. We have to have our best day and they have a bad one. If they have a good day, forget that it doesn’t matter what the rival does.
E. We have to do our best in attack, but above all in defense. They are capable of making very difficult shots, but the easy ones make them all. At least they will have to be forced to make difficult shots. If they write them down, which is something that can happen, knowing that you have given everything and that you have done the best you could to be able to go home happy.
Q. Are they about making promises before big dates?
S. If we win the Cup, I’ll get it tattooed. But just for one game, no.
Q. No, no. Just to beat Madrid, no. By winning the Cup, he meant.
S. Yes, if we win the Cup, I promise I’ll get it tattooed.
E. Me, the Cup and whatever else is needed. The entire Alhambra, even [laughs].
S. Also.
Madrid do not see defects. If they have a good day, it doesn’t matter what the rival does
Sergi Quintela, escort of the Breogán River
P. They have a squad that does not look like that of a newly promoted: Musa, Mahalbasic, Bell-Haynes, Kalinoski… There is a lot of quality there.
Yes. There is a good balance. The starters are very good, but those of the second line push and make sure that in training they also have to give their best, make an effort and then in the matches they are at a good level. But at first they considered us relegated even before the League started.
E. It amuses me that Sergi says that the starters are very good when he starts every game [laughs].
S. All the players have taken a step forward. Like Musa, who came from the NBA and the Euroleague, but no one expected a performance like the one he is giving. And like him, everyone. We are giving a little more than people thought.
E. All those who have come are very good, but none had shown it in a League as complicated as the ACB. And the same thing happened with those of us who went up from the LEB. People wondered if we were going to be able to have a role to help the team. The secret has been that each one has done what he had to do and in the best way.
The good thing is that playing on Thursday there is more time to rest for the semifinal
Erik Quintela, base of the Breogán River
P. Despite the fact that things have gone very well with the promotion and now with the Copa del Rey, they have four coaches in a few months: Diego Epifanio, Paco Olmos, Javi Muñoz and Veljko Mrsic. It’s weird, isn’t it?
S. Well, from the inside it’s even weirder. No one expected it, but the work that Paco was doing drew attention because he was very good. And then with COVID there have been more coach changes. It’s very anecdotal, but I think it’s a great achievement that we continue this well.
E. Let’s see if Veljko doesn’t win some games, he’ll leave too and we have to find another coach [laughs]. See the same faces every day can not be.
