2024-03-29 20:12:33
Mica enters what was the Olympic Park of the South American Youth Games in Rosario and is captivated. “What a beautiful place. And courts. I want to play now,” she says as she hurries to put on her shoes and launch the first shots with the Europaris that shines in her hands. Nothing stops her. Not even a recent injury to her knee. As she walks onto the rejuvenated main court, freshly painted, with professional hoop and backboard, she can’t help but review where she came from and where she got to. A story that tells of a girl who came a long way, from that childhood in the suburbs and as part of a lower-middle class family, playing in a neighborhood club and to her present day, as a figure in the women’s National League, going through his experience in 14 different teams and in dozens of street courts. Today, at 27 years old, after hitting rock bottom with an illness that kept her in check for years, Negra González enjoys her best moment and does not stop her progress. Not even her dreams. That of continuing to do what she loves and, at the same time, becoming a recognized influencer that allows her to live off her passion because, of course, women’s basketball still does not provide certainties…
“I started playing almost by chance, thanks to the fact that my best friend today invited me to the 17 de Agosto club, in Villa Pueyrredón, where there was always a lack of girls. My brother already played basketball and I was 9 years old… I liked it, yes, but at first she was very bad, she just had a lot of attitude. Only as the years went by did I click and I felt that this could be a passion forever,” says the 1m64 escort. At 15 years old she left the neighborhood club to go to Vélez. Then he went through Centro Galicia, where he debuted in Majors, even at the national level. Then he was in Italy, then he returned to the country to play first for Vélez and then for Vecinal de Munro. She was greatly influenced by her later stage in the Indios de Moreno (three seasons) and even she went through Santiago del Estero and Neuquén.
A true globetrotter who describes herself as a person who loves experiences. “I adapt very easily to teams and I am zero conflict. I like to stand out within the teams, I am not going to say no, but always from humility. I went to so many clubs (14) probably because I like to start from scratch, not to be known and then discovered. Those challenges suit me well, constantly remaking myself within a group,” she explains.
His knee bothers him, but his passion is stronger. And when she warms up, she’s unstoppable. She pulls again and again. “I don’t know courts like that in the country. Very pro in everything, in a beautiful park and within a central area of Rosario… And, most importantly, it is public. “Europaris went too far to set up something like that and to be able to keep it beautiful for two years,” he admits while he enjoys his place in the world, a street court.
Because Mica is much more than a professional player. The essence of it is the street, improvising, sharing, competing against whoever is in front of you. “I also discovered the street with my friend. And she captivated me. Today I still go to different courts, whenever I can. She didn’t change it for anything. Nothing else gives you the taste of the street. You rub shoulders with men, some rough, tough, some play well and others not so much. You play with whoever you get and you can’t look down on anyone. Furthermore, it is not just playing, sharing different moments. You learn a lot, too. The codes and values of the street. In the club they teach you, in the street you learn,” she says while she tells anecdotes of that overflowing passion. “I have gone to play for hours, morning and afternoon, and then at night to an official match. Many coaches and leaders, even family members, have told me not to go because of the injuries, but over time they accepted me as I am. And, of course, I have also adapted, going a little less,” she adds, laughing.
The differences between the street 3×3, compared to the professional 5×5, are many, although Mica adapts. “On the street you don’t think so much, you react and create. It helps me try new things. In the 5×5 everyone knows you, your tendencies, on the street you put into practice things that are not so conventional. You flow more”, she compares herself and gives some examples of situations. “Sometimes I shoot a triple on the run, one against three, and they challenge me. I understand. And I have been adapting. But that essence also helps you at times and, luckily, some of them accompany me in that madness,” she completes as another laugh escapes her as she changes her shirt for the photo.
Mica leaves the Ferro team that gave her the national title at the end of the year and now has her as the absolute leader of the same Women’s League (with a record of 18-1), and takes on the NBA Bucks team, now that she is the image of NBA Latam on social networks, to make different tutorials. “They are two facets of the same person, on the one hand the player and on the other hand, if you want, the influencer, a necessary side if I want to continue doing what I love, because with basketball alone, because of how the Women’s League is in the country. , It is very difficult. But I get along well with them, both,” she comments.
His news is pure enjoyment, despite his recent knee injury. He is on the best team in the country, enjoying a club as beautiful as it is traditional (Ferro) and playing in the Cathedral of basketball. “Entering Etchart is already special. You breathe something else… And there is (León) Najnudel watching you from the side. It’s strong, I don’t know if everyone is aware of that. The club is crazy, I already adopted it as my new home, coach Carlitos de Negri gives me the opportunity to be me and the team matured until it was what it is today,” he analyzes while dwelling on the achievements, the championships with Ferro (Liga Femenina, Metropolitano and Macabeadas), the MVP of the last game and having been in the Argentine All-Star Game.
But, of course, the path was not always rosy. “When I was the last cut for the U19 National Team, to go to the World Cup in Russia, in 2015, my head exploded. And the heart. It killed me emotionally because the disaffection was unfair. I had done everything well, adapting to the team. It wasn’t even enough… That’s when I realized that I was not a normal player, nor the desired stereotype. And she cost me…. I stopped working. I started eating little or too much. And, at first, I didn’t see it as a disease. It freed me, it did me good. He ate and expelled. Bulimia and anorexia pushed me over the edge. I went from weighing 49 to 70. But I never stopped training and playing. But when I returned from Italy, weighing 70 kilos, my family was scared. I never opened my mouth and they began to do all kinds of studies on me. I had fainting, syncope, eye leaks, cardiac arrhythmias. They thought it was due to a lot of physical activity, until they realized from the clues that I left behind. It took me four years but I got out. Basketball and my family were key. It’s crazy, because basketball sank me and, at the same time, rescued me. And understanding, of course, that my life went beyond basketball, even though it was my great passion,” she admits while saying that she is sincere to leave a message and to help, something she does when she sees in others the same thing that she herself suffered. .
When he talks about basketball as a lifeline, he does not spare praise for the tool for transforming his life. “I had many stages with the ball. There was a time when I went running with one and people on the street looked at me like I was crazy. I have also slept with the ball. My future husband knows that he is my second love (laughs). He also had heartbreaks, moments of hate, of pain, until I found myself again, forever,” he reveals.
University sports were important in its resurgence. While studying Nutrition and Sports Journalism he had the luxury of being on national teams and traveling to many places, from Brazil to China, for South American, Pan American and even World Cups, especially with UNLAM. It was eight years of top experiences until he grew out of it last year. “What I didn’t do with minor teams, college basketball gave me. It was my driving force to understand that I could play at another level. “It gave me the confidence and opportunities that I didn’t have in national teams or clubs,” says he, who in 2022 went on to win the Silver Olympia for university sports.
Today his dreams don’t stop. “The National Team is still there, as an objective. I decided to stay in the country, in our competition, to enhance it and grow from this place. I’ve already shown that I can play and adapt. Someday it will arrive, like our women’s basketball will reach an Olympic Game. It’s a matter of time”. Mica says it while she enjoys the Olympic Park. Right in an Olympic year. And, always, faithful to its essence.