2023-06-24 06:31:00
Having just turned 18, next August he is going to the United States to study Chemistry and play in the NCAA with Liberty University, in Lynchburg (Virginia). He has been one of the sensations of Básquet Girona and even had the opportunity to make the jump to the Uni first team.
Is it difficult, at the age of 18, to make the decision to go to the USA to study and play basketball?
Yes, it has been difficult. Never during this season was it clear to me whether I should leave or not. I’ve gone through moments of everything, from saying 100% that I’m not going, to thinking the complete opposite, that I had to try this experience if I had the chance. In the end it ended up weighing more on this, trying it. I am very excited to go to the United States, and in the end I know that if I don’t like it I can always go back.
What weighs more at the moment, studies or basketball?
I am clear that at some point I would like to be a professional basketball player, or at least try. But nowadays, on a female level, I know that you can’t make a very good living at it either and that it’s very important to also have some studies. I will never leave them.
He could have made the jump to Uni’s first team this summer. Why did he say no?
Tasting the Uni first team has been a new experience for me (he did the pre-season there last summer). I’m young and it helped me learn a lot, to see what professional basketball was really like, where everything is more serious and transcendent. I liked. But right now I don’t feel ready to make that jump to professional basketball. In the future I would definitely like to try it, to see if I can get there or not. First I need to finish training, now I will be in the United States in a competitive league but not as much as the professional basketball league in Spain. I want to make leaps little by little, and not make such a big direct one. I think this will suit me better.
I talked to a lot of people when making the decision to leave. In the end I want to take advantage of the experience
How is the pressure of having been one of the leaders of Girona U18 Basketball this season, or the top scorer?
I had never been talked about. What I am clear about is that I like to play basketball. And period I don’t play to reach a goal, obviously I set myself one, but I do it because I love the sport. I have never had a pressure to be talked about. I used to make points, but maybe not as many. At the beginning of the season I started doing a lot of them and the pressure didn’t mean anything to me. This season the team has been different. Last year with GEiEG Uni was different. Now, with the change to Basketball Girona Uni Laia Palau, the team has changed and I may have had to take on more responsibility. This has made me evolve.
Why did you choose basketball and what does this sport give you?
As a child, I wanted to play volleyball, but when I was six, there was no team here in Girona. At school they gave the option of going to play basketball with the GEiEG and I said to myself “why not?”. My parents encouraged me to play. I’ve been at GEiEG all my life until last summer they separated from Uni and this year I’ve done it at Básquet Girona Uni Laia Palau.
They have had an exceptional season, champions of Catalonia and fifth in Spain. How did you experience it?
For me it has been a year of many doubts, I have had a bad time because of the uncertainty of starting a new project. It was our last training course and we wanted to end it well. At first the older players and some important players left. Girls arrived that we didn’t know and we didn’t know if they would be ready. The league started and we were doing well, but then I had doubts about whether I should stay in Girona or leave. We reached the Catalan championship very well, with the plus of playing it at home, in Salt, we did very well. And then in the Spanish championship we were also good. I got injured in the first game, rested two, and in the end we fell to Unicaja in the medal fight. To be fifth we beat León.
What impact has it had on you to be able to deal daily with one of your idols, Laia Palau?
The first time I spoke to her was at the beginning of the season and it was shocking. He said to me “oysters, I’m talking to Laia Palau!” Now having her on whatsApp or talking to her face to face is very strong, we talk about you to you. He is one of the most idols. It’s exciting.
Which other players do you look up to?
I’ve never looked up to anyone… I really liked the way Laia Palau played and I also really like Maite Cazorla from the Spanish team. Regardless of my position, I really like María Araújo because of her character and the way she plays.
Pere Puig says that he is an emerging value, that he has enormous potential and that he is very intelligent on the court. Are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses?
I think Peter nailed them. One of my strengths, I agree, is my intelligence on the court, I really like to think on the court. Among my weak points is the physical, and that is why I want to take advantage of the stay in the United States to improve it. It is probably easier to combine studies and basketball there than here. In the United States I want to prepare well physically and then when I come back see where I am and see if I can aspire to a Women’s League team.
What is your roadmap for the next few years?
I’m going to the USA in August, I think I’ll like it and I’ll be there all four years. Evolve in the subject of basketball. And when he comes back we’ll see. Be realistic, I’m not going to be in the first team if I’m not ready. Now, it is clear that I would like to play in a Women’s League team.
She was called up with the U18 team, but they ended up discarding her.
Yes, in May I was in Guadalajara and now I was in Lugo, it was the first time I was called. It was a very different experience. The types of training we did in Girona were not similar to those in the Spanish national team, everything was more professional. I got there touched, I had injured myself in the Spanish championship, my foot was bad, but I did all the training despite the discomfort. Maybe it was difficult to fit in and find my role. Not being well on my feet, I was self-conscious and I couldn’t give my 100%. Even though I didn’t make the selection to go to the European Championship, it was a very good experience.
Who did you ask for advice when deciding on your future? What has ended up tipping the scales?
I’ve talked to a lot of people. I am with an agency that has helped me through this whole process. We’ve been making video calls, I also spoke with Júlia Soler (former Uni player now in Cadí) who also considered whether to leave or not. Many people who have tried going abroad have told me good points and bad points. These people have given me their opinion, I have been making lists and I have been making the decision. At the beginning of the year I was very clear that I would not go to the United States, but it is an experience that basketball allows me to live and in the end I chose to try it. Also it is important to learn English, I know that if I go there I will improve my level and also I will continue to play basketball.
How does the role of this agency work?
There are several agencies. They wrote to me a couple or three years ago, explaining that there was this opportunity in case you wanted to study in the United States in the future. They’ve seen me play and I’ve sent them videos too. Then they send them to the universities and if any of them want you, they let you know. If I want to talk to a university, a video call is organized. And if in the end that university wants you, they can offer you different scholarships.
Why did you decide to study Chemistry?
If I had stayed in Spain, the idea was to do Pharmacy, but in the United States these careers are very long, I think it was seven years, and to validate it here it is not at all easy. Also, no university gives you a scholarship for seven years. If in the future I want to work in the Pharmaceutical industry, the most similar thing is studying Chemistry. In the first years I will do very general science studies and in the third year you specialize more in chemistry or whatever.
His father, Xavi Acín, had played for Girona FC, and his sister also stands out in basketball. Have you always experienced sport with intensity at home?
Yes, my father had played for Girona and other teams, although he was not a professional, and my mother also likes sports. Since I was little, when I was 8 years old, I really like basketball thanks to a coach, Raül Maqueda. My sister also plays basketball and we all really like it right now. We follow Uni and Básquet Girona, and the parents also come to see us.
????Our family just expanded. Welcome to The Mountain, Claudia Acin! pic.twitter.com/ev9751p6CU
— Liberty Women’s Basketball (@LibertyWBB) June 13, 2023
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