Marina Lizarazu: “I fell in love with Lugo from the first moment”

Marina Lizarazu Herrera (Madrid, 1995), a former player of the first Ensino to play in the European competition (2021-2022), is today Ensino’s rival with guaranteed stability and victory in the play off. (12:00 p.m.). Marina recalls her time in Lugo, analyzes the current Lugo team and thinks about issues that go beyond basketball. A fighter, a winner who left her mark on Paz.

—How did Jairis get this game? They have salvation very close.

– We came with great enthusiasm. We are also very focused on doing our job and being able to come out victorious to be mathematically closer to proving durability, as Ensino has already done. That is our main goal.

—At what point are you at the individual level?

-Good. I feel good, the desire to continue to help the team in any way, for the team to continue to string together small successes and confirm durability would be one of them.

— What do you think could be the keys to the game?

“It will be a difficult game. All parties are in this league. It can be seen that the competition is very equal. It will happen that it will be focused on the topics that we prepared during the week. We know that Ensino is a tough team, with a lot of character, that holds the game very well in all circumstances. And I think we have to go up and set the rhythm of the game from the beginning and have a high intensity so that everything goes in our favor.

“What do you think of the current Ensin?”

— It is a young team with great enthusiasm. It has a lot of character and a lot of punch. He really wants to fight. Has confidence It’s a tough team to attack with those alternate defenses, zone, etc. It’s a pretty complete team and it’s going to be tough.

— How do you remember your Ensino stage? He played 30 league games and 8 games in the Eurocup.

– Really with a lot of love, and even nostalgia. For me, it was eight months, which is how long the season lasts, very beautiful, very intense. I’m in love with the city. I am very grateful to the club because it made me feel at home. It’s a special match every time I meet them again.

— She is a very complete player, able to provide points, rebounds, assists and rebounds. Do you think that’s how basketball develops?

— There is an increasing demand for versatility, the ability to adapt to different situations in the same team. The higher the range of your contribution, the more growth the team will have.

— Two players from his stage remained: Laura Aliaga and Alba Prieto, with whom he maintains a very good relationship. What would you highlight about each of them on a personal and professional level?

Both are excellent players. Alba is very versatile, with many resources in attack. She is a player in full growth and will give a lot to talk about in the future. In fact, it already is. Laura is already a consolidated player in the league, with a lot of experience, a lot of character and very intelligent to find her shots and use all her strengths. On a personal level, I’m very fond of both of them. We had a very nice year on and off the track. It really united us with everyone who was there. I can’t wait to see them and hang out.

— While he was at Valencia Basket, he met Loren Segura. What do you remember about her and how do you analyze her development?

As you say, I agree with her. I was a young player. I understand that she had more minutes in Lugo to develop as a player. She is a shooting specialist, she is a marksman. She is a very good player.

— He graduated in psychology in the United States. How do you see the current state of mental health in sports? Steps are being taken recently, but it is not enough.

Yes, steps are being taken. Now we hear about the mental health of athletes. This is the primary and key question when performing in any sport. You have to take care of that, make sure the athletes have the tools to manage everything that comes our way during the season. The competition months are very tense, with a lot of sacrifices.

—To what extent did the study of this career influence your process as a professional player?

— This gave me that additional perspective, that I know how to relativize each moment in order to remain stable in the uncertainty that dedication to sport brings with it in all aspects. He taught me to manage factors that are not so much under your control, and of which there are many, both in life and in sports. Don’t stress, don’t stress and keep working with your work habits.

— Before, he indirectly explained it perfectly. Seasons last eight months. After that, there are four months without a job and without a contract. How do you assess the current situation in women’s basketball?

— This is also something that needs to be dealt with immediately and I would almost say essential. Let the league, which should already be professional, be professionalized. Professionalism must come from all sides. Of course, I don’t think it’s professional conditions when you dedicate yourself to this sport for eight months, and then you have to reinvest part of the earnings for four months in order not to become disabled and to continue to maintain the level you want. could reach the next season. The fact that we are unemployed for four months also affects our physical health, even if you try to stay. And in mental health, obviously, the wear and tear of finding your own resources and managing yourself also breaks the time you devote to something that no longer pays.

— She was the top scorer in the U-17 World Cup final against the United States with 19 points. In addition, he won three European golds and one silver in training categories. How do you remember all those successes?

– With love. The selection years were very nice years in which you are part of a family that touches you on a generational level when you play with the best players of your generation. You have friends for life, with some who are in the Women’s League and others who have decided to change their path. I continue to keep in touch and catch up on life. The national team allowed me to make great progress as a player and with experiences that marked my sports and private life.

— He left a very good memory in Ensin, the fans and the environment. Does that open the door to a possible return to Ensino in the medium term?

-Yes of course. Lugo is a place I fell in love with from the first moment. Of course, the club treated me very well. I was delighted. If our paths crossed again, I would be delighted.