It was almost five months, but it seemed like a lifetime for the Rafaelina who fulfilled one of her dreams playing in Europe, and dispatching with three titles in her first experience abroad. Candela took advantage of her opportunity at Benfica in an unbeatable way: rubbing shoulders with world-class players, adapting to a new place in the world, enjoying the conditions of an elite club and considerably raising her game.
She came from the Ben Hur club and when she finished high school she went to Deportivo Berazategui, to shine in the Development League and later stamp her name in the first division of the most winning club in the Women’s League, being a two-time champion and one of the players with the greatest progress. of national basketball. As if that were not enough, the 21-year-old combines a sporting career that is on the rise with her university studies, currently in the third year of the demanding Medicine degree at the UBA.
We invite you to learn about the history and highlights of the present of the player who, while also being able to play as a small forward, acted as a power forward in one of the best teams on the Old Continent and consecrated herself in the Federation Cup, Portuguese Cup and Betclic Women’s League. , a contest that concluded on May 8 with a final in which he contributed 8 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes. We spoke with Gentinetta to delve into this journey, and learn everything about a solid promise of our Argentine National Team.
-Your family knows about basketball but also about the university world. How important is their accompaniment in your day to day life?
-My younger brothers, Delfina and Bautista, also play; and my parents Sonia and Gabriel are my two pillars, I listen to their advice for any decision I have to make. They love basketball, while she is a doctor and he is an engineer (and also knew how to be a player), so they understand a lot about both fields, sports and academics. Before, it was very difficult for me to manage frustrations and self-demand, but a psychologist helped me assimilate it, and currently I seek calm through my family and close people, they help me relax, lower a change, and encourage me to enjoy What happens to me.
-And how did you get to the world of orange?
-When I was a girl, my dad still played, I remember going to see it with mom. But I went to dance, until when I was 10 years old they started giving us sports at school, and I saw that I was pretty good at basketball, I wasn’t afraid of the ball like my classmates… (Laughs). I got home, I told dad I wanted to play, and he, happy with life, took me to the club the next day. They were fanatics, but they never imposed anything on me, they let basketball find me and that’s how it was.
-How do you remember that first stage in Ben Hur?
-It was very nice, in Ben Hur I trained as an athlete and a person, I spent the whole afternoon at the club because I practiced with each category, including mom’s maxi basketball. I was also there the entire weekend because, in addition to playing, I accompanied my parents who were on the club’s committee and worked in the canteen. At 14, I began to join selected teams, and at the same time they began to call me from clubs in Buenos Aires, but first I wanted to finish high school. Of course, I trained extra outside the club, to compensate and be at the level of any basketball player in the country.
-Until watching a Women’s League final, you decided it was time to make the leap. How did the adaptation to Berazategui occur?
-At first it was hard, I left when I was 17 years old and with my family we went everywhere together, basketball brought us together a lot. But I didn’t suffer so much thanks to Bera, who is special, runs like a family and makes everything very enjoyable, with leaders who, for example, invite you to eat a barbecue on Sunday so as not to miss you so much. That year I also started college, so there were a lot of changes, that’s why I have a great relationship with the club, I’ll always be grateful for how they treated me.
-Then the opportunity came in Portugal… What did you find in Benfica?
-I arrived at a 100% professional place, with gigantic dimensions and a number of resources that are very difficult to find, partly because of how great football is in this institution. We had a kinesiology room and even a clinic inside the club where you could go for any situation. Our staff had all the necessary specialists, we had weigh-in and anthropometry controls every week, they provided us with supplements and super complete clothing. As a player, you only had to focus on basketball, the rest was taken care of.
-Not only was it your first experience outside the country, but you crowned it with three titles. What sensations do you have from your time abroad?
-Like all changes, first it was hard and strange: everyone spoke Portuguese, so I didn’t even know what my teammates were saying in the locker room, but then they handled themselves more in English and I felt better there. The adaptation must have been quick, because I arrived in December, but I had to integrate into the game system of a group that started in September. In Argentina, I was not used to facing players who were half a head taller than me and 20 kilos, but I trained a lot to make up for those differences. Little by little, I understood what the coach needed and as the games went by I finished very well, it was a more than positive experience.
-And in relation to culture, what caught your attention in Lisbon?
-In terms of food, I think Argentina is better, there they have a different way of eating, they hardly eat meat and they do eat a lot of fish, but I don’t like it that much. Of course they don’t drink mate either; In fact, the American Taylor Peacocke looked at the mate with distrust and the first thing she asked me was if she drugged me, but I made her try it and she understood that it was nothing illegal… (She laughs). I had practically no free days to get to know the place in depth, but I was impressed by the safety of Lisbon, because it is a huge capital city. I was also able to see the Benfica soccer team, and the people are very calm and polite, even with full stadiums and being able to drink alcohol on the pitch.
-What learning do you take from the technical? How will your career continue from here on?
-I acquired more explosion and aggressiveness, due to the need to compensate for the physical disadvantage and the style of play. In that league there are players with great effectiveness, and that is given by the hours and specific shooting training. But even though I played power forward, I’d like to continue to improve my skills in front of the rim. I am still deciding my future, evaluating the possibilities that arise, and weighing the university as well. This time, I went because it was only for months and in the summer, so my race was not too far behind, although I would love another opportunity in Europe.
-With Argentina you played youth tournaments, 3×3, and even made the preselection for the AmeriCup 2021. How did you experience that process? What do you feel about our colors?
-Wearing the Argentine shirt is beautiful, a feeling of pride, to inflate the chest. In every opportunity I had to represent the country, I was happy and I lived it intensely. It is a privilege, the dream of any athlete and a reward for the effort made. Because of my age and the level of our players, I thought that I should wait a few years for a Major League call, so I was surprised to be summoned at 20, but I took advantage of it, I learned a lot, I tried to absorb everything, and to have been one of the last cuts made me grow psychologically.
-How do you see the development of women’s basketball in Argentina?
-I think it has come a long way, but we don’t have to adopt a conformist position, we need the same tools as the masculine. I do not stop seeing growth, on the contrary, I feel that we should be grateful but also know that you can always be better, which is a philosophy of life. Although many of us are semi-professionals due to other obligations, the ideal would be to be so for a mere personal challenge and not for lack of a professional context.
-What does your university career represent in relation to sports? Do you take it as a distraction or is it sometimes too demanding?
-It’s a very fine line: at times, I’m saturated with basketball and studying serves to clear my mind, but sometimes I’m so tired that sitting in a chair is the worst thing I can do, I just want to rest. With the intense rhythm with which I worked in Portugal, and also being everything new, I was not willing to divide it in two and change the chip as it happened to me here.
-What is your biggest dream in basketball? What would you say to someone who does not think they are capable of carrying out an academic and sports career at the same time?
-I would very much like to join the National Team, and my dream is to be in an Olympic Game, it would be crazy and hopefully at some point it can be fulfilled. And having a double career is a great sacrifice, I live it and understand it that way, but when the achievements are given, the satisfaction is incomparable. It is difficult and rare, but not impossible, it can be achieved with will, perseverance, organization, prioritizing moments and making decisions, as in every aspect of life.
