Colleagues in college basketball in the United States, today they are rivals in the National League

Diego Romero (39) and Willie Alford Thornton (38) -known as “Al”-, one Senior player (to graduate) and the other in the penultimate year of Florida State University, coincided precisely on this team, under the direction technique of Leonard Hamilton – former coach of Michael Jordan in the Washington Wizards of the NBA.

This Tuesday, in Mar del Plata, Peñarol will receive Gimnasia y Esgrima de Comodoro, in the only duel of the day for the Single Zone of the National Basketball League. The marplatenses are located in the third position of the tournament and the southern escorts of the leader of the competition that is Quimsa from Santiago del Estero. The match is broadcast by the TyC Sports signal, from 10 p.m.

The University brought them together as classmates

Both basketball players coincided in the “Seminoles”. Romero, after a suspension by the NCAA and the trial that he won, was finally able to dispute his career with the university he chose over other outstanding ones such as texas tech, where he said “no” to legend Bobby Knight, Indiana, Kentucky and East Carolina.

The Junior College and his great performance led Romero (at 2.05 meters tall) to be the best power forward in the entire United States before landing at Florida State University and be considered one of the 25 great basketball projects in that country.

Thornton (with 2.03 meters), for his part, had chosen FSU and would join a year after the Argentine inmate for, atAt the end of his career, being one of the members of the “America Team” (due to his high level) and landing in the NBA at Washington Wizards, After being drafted in the 1st round (position 14), in 2007 by the Los Angeles Clippers (where he made his debut), he went to the Wizards and then to Golden State.

When they put “Coach K”, a basketball glory, on his knees

Both participated in the 2005-06 season where they played 30 games, but the two most important were against Duke University, led by the myth, Mike Krzyzewski (historic Duke coach who will leave his post at the end of this 2022 season after 42 years).

but it adds to the United States command, two gold medals at the OlympicsBeijing 2008 and London 2012, he was also champion of the 2010 World Cup in Turkey and left his post in 2016, after Rio de Janeiro 2016. His successor was another legend, Gregg Popovich, coach of Emanuel Ginóbili and Fabricio Oberto in San Antonio Spurs.

On February 4, 2006, at Cameron Stadium – Duke’s home – those led by “Coach K” received Romero, Thornton and Florida State with a closed result that sowed a seed in the squad. “That day we swore that as locals we could win it,” said Romero, after the 97-96 defeat (they had equaled on 84 points during regulation time).

“Playing at Cameron Stadium is a unique experience for the visitor, as it is one of the most difficult fields in the country and losing in overtime by one point was incredible.I think that in the following season with Al Thornton they beat Duke on their court with a great match from him”, he recalled.

“They were a very tough team that had a great scorer in JJ Redick. He is a retired NBA and ESPN sportscaster who holds the record for best free throw percentages in history and a killer shooter.. Facing Duke, at a minimum, was facing three or four NBA players, plus the best coach in the ‘country at the moment,’ he added, and yes because of that team he faced Josh McRoberts, Shelden Williams, DeMarcus Nelson came to the best league in the world since the “Blue Devils”.

The stadium was another unforgettable setting for the basketball player who to this day maintains a dialogue with Thornton, his rival this Tuesday at the Mar del Plata Sports Center and the former Regatas Corrientes and Quilmes of Mar del Plata treasures that experience.

“I remember the madness at Duke, where we went to the court two hours earlier and the popular and student part was blown up. They yelled and wouldn’t let you hear anything two hours before the game,” Romero said.

“When we lost at their home, they were still not the best in the league, but we swore we could beat them and we did so at our home,” he added.

The current Gimnasia y Esgrima captain scored 7 points that day, grabbed 4 rebounds and had a steal. while the eaves of Peñarol scored 37 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, gave 5 assists, 3 steals and a block, with an amazing performance.

The one born in the missionary town of Bernardo de Irigoyen shared that campaign with another teammate who would reach the NBA, Alexander Johnson, in what would be his farewell from college basketball.

An unforgettable game, the “Night of the graduates” and a victory that lasts

For their part, as locals at the Donald L. Tucker Center, the Seminoles won 79-74 when Duke was already the number 1 team in the country.

A 79-74 was the final result for the great celebration of FSU who had an avalanche of his fans in the stands, an invasion of the field, in what was the “Senior Night” (The Night of the Seniors) that had the players who would graduate and play their last home game on the field.

“’Al’ was playing and we beat him in a game in which Duke was the best in the country. They went crazy on the field, everything exploded and they even invaded the field. There were runs everywhere and that’s how it is when a team beats the “1” of the United States”, Romero reminded Télam

Romero, starter in the match, contributed 5 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and had a steal, while Thornton was the top scorer of the night with 26 points, 6 rebounds, a steal and a block.

16 years after that feat, Romero and Thornton are back on the court, but as rivals. Not in the university league of the United States but in the glorious National Basketball League.

Farewell to “Coach K”, United States basketball legend

Michael Williams “Mike” Krzyzewski (75), the man who for 42 years was the head coach of Duke University, will step down, capping an era of American basketball.

“Coach K” as DT got five college basketball champion rings with Duke. In 2005, after the poor performance of the Dream Team in Athens 2004 -when the Argentine team climbed to the top of the podium-, Krzyzewski took over as national coach and three years later the gold medals began to arrive: three in a row at the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016. He was also the 2010 World Cup champion in Turkey. In 2016 he left his place to another legend, Gregg Popovich, coach of Emanuel Ginóbili and Fabricio Oberto in San Antonio Spurs.

Romero met himexchanged greetings and with Télam he remembers: “Coach K is an eminence, a great man who shakes your hand when you finish a game. For each boy who went through that situation it was a privilege and an honor.”