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| Leticia Romero has one of the best apprenticeships going in women's basketball, learning her trade from EuroLeague Women champion playmakers Sylvia Dominguez and Laia Palau |
By Mark Woods
Beware the sharks,
Leticia Romero warns. "
Laia (Palau), because she thinks a lot.
Nuria (Martinez). (Marta)
Xargay." In the hours of downtime, the card games among Spain's team can be almost as competitive as the hands they play on court. But as
EuroBasket Women nears its climax, the defending champions are ready to call their rivals' bluff.
At 20, Romero is the baby-faced assassin who might yet be the Joker in their deck. A native of the Canary Islands who is now playing across the Atlantic at
Florida State University, this summer's international action follows a cameo 12 months ago when she could be held back no longer.
The then-teenager went to the
FIBA World Championship for Women but remained a virtual spectator. Still, it was a chance to learn and absorb what passes for the Spanish way. "This year, I came in knowing the philosophy of the team," she confirms. "So I feel like part of this amazing group and it's like a dream."
Romero remains a reserve. Her time, sooner or later, will surely come, when the keys of the car will be handed over and she will be asked to drive. With each test so far, at U16, then 18, then 20, she has passed without crashing into the kerb.
"Every level you go up, it gets harder," she acknowledges. "And there are more players who can do more. If you don't put in the work to get better, you come back and find everyone else has moved up. You see that development. And now at senior level, it's very different to U20 and 18.
"It's tough being here, competing at this level. Because I consider us to be if not the best team in Europe, then one of the best, and you have that competitiveness. But at the same time, it's hard to compete for minutes and be at that level."
Picking up insights from the likes of
Silvia Dominquez and Martinez, with a decade of past work in European competitions, will do her no harm. It is extra tuition to supplement what she has acquired during two years in the United States - divided between Florida and an unhappy spell at
Kansas State - where she has adapted to the nuances of the NCAA.
"There, the game is more physical than here," Romero observes. "It focuses more on contact, getting strongly to the basket. Here it's more about thinking all the time: what's the best option and who is in the best position to shoot the ball? How can we make the team play? It's all about that.
"In the States, it's about let's run and get baskets. But at the same time, being in the USA has helped me to get more physical and not lose my mind when the defence is physical."
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| Romero and Olivia Epoupa will give a glimpse of the future off their respective benches in Friday's second semi-final |
The Spanish need to keep their focus with so much within reach.
After defeating Montenegro on Thursday to reach the final four, Spain now get a re-match with old friends
France on Friday for a place in Sunday's EuroBasket Women Final.
They are deep at each position. Romero may be called upon to contribute. Or she may remain on the bench to continue her education. Yet she will feel no sense of intimidation. Her way, her personal mantra, is already drawn up.
"I am not selfish," she confirms. "I want to make the team play well, first of all. I love to get assists. Especially at U20, I want to take responsibility in the hard times, when the game is tied, when we need points, I'll go for a basket or something. It's a mix between the team and what I need to do.
"But here, my role is more to learn from the other point guards. And when I'm on the court, to give 100%, dip in and try and play well."
Step by step. Year by year. By 2016, Spain may be hers to run. Defending the European championship would mean the opportunity to make that case is guaranteed.
"For us, it's our goal, to get to the top," Romero adds. "But we're especially looking to the
Olympic Games as well. So we're going to give everything."
Beware of the sharks.
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