Drama Over (Maybe) in Brazil; Paulo Bassul Out as Brazilian Coach

It has been confirmed by Hortencia Marcari, the women's basketball director of the Brazilian Basketball Foundation and by former head coach Paulo Bassul that there will be a new head coach of the Brazilian women's basketball team.

Carlos Colina will be the new head coach - at least for the next six months. Carlos is from Spain.

Hortencia stated that Iziane Castro Marques was not the reason for the change in coaching. It's been a drama for two years now, ever since Paulo Bassul took Iziane out of a game and then Iziane refused to go back in again. Iziane made it quite clear that she wouldn't return to the Brazilian women's team as long as Bassul was the coach.

Now the big question - will Iziane wear green and gold again? And what kind of reception will her teammates give her?

(Information from the Painel do Basquete Femenino, the ultimate Brazilian women's basketball blog.)

Tearful Iziane Meets With Hortencia in Europe

Hortencia Marcari, the head of women's basketball in Brazil, stated that she had an emotional conversation with Iziane Castro Marques regarding Iziane's future with the Brazilian national team.

"It was the first time I saw her, I knew better Iziane and their way of thinking. We had a positive approach. She was sensitive and cried. Talking about this subject is not pleasant for her. I think nobody had sat down to chat with it,"s he said.

The telenovela continues. "Will the evil Iziane wear green and gold again and kick poor starving Paulo Bassul to the curb as coach? Or will the scheming Bassul manage to keep poor Iziane away from the team?" I'm sure that we'll have more episodes in the future.

(Thumbs up to the Painel do Basquete Femenino, from which the above text is linked.)

Iziane Gets Some Help from the Senate

The Painel do Basquete Feminino reports on a blog entry at the Blog Laguna, that Iziane Castro Marques might be returning to the Brazilian women's basketball team - because she has the support of Brazilian senator José Sarney.

"I met with the Sarney here in St. Louis at the end of the year, and he wants me to go back to shine in the national team. I told the senator that if Bassul out, I'll come back.Nevertheless, I do not know how much support it can influence on my return, "said the player DAILY yesterday.

José Sarney is not just any other Brazilian politician - he is the current President of the Senate in Brazil and he was the former President of Brazil. Influential? Definitely.

My prediction is that Bassul is toast. Iziane will be playing for Brazil. The fix is in.

Another Chapter in the Boring Iziane Novel

...as Bert calls it at the Painel do Basquete Feminino. One again, Iziane Castro Marques makes it as plain as she's made it over the last few months that if Paulo Bassul remains coach of the Brazil Women's Basketball Team, then Iziane will not play. However, Iziane says something to the effect that "the door is open" now that Bassul has not yet signed a new contract.

As one commenter on the Painel do Basquete Feminino blog stated, the problem is that Iziane refuses to give even a few apologetic words. Unfortunately for the Brazilians, she's also one of their best players.

At 2:21 in the video linked at this website, Iziane talks to the television show "Good Morning Mirante". Unfortunately, I can't speak Portugese.

My bet? Iziane is talking about the whole Paulo Bassul thing. (The actual incident where Iziane refused to return to the floor happens at 4:07.) Oh yes, and the future of Brazilian basketball.

Nunez: "Iziane does not need to apologize."

The president of Brazilian basketball, Carlos Nunez, states that >Iziane Castro Marques does not need to apologize to anyone in Brazilian basketball to join the women's team.

This all happened when Coach Paulo Bassul replaced Iziane from a game against Belarus - late in the game, when Bassul asked her to return, she refused to go back in. Castro Marques has been asked to return to the Brazilian national team, but she states that she refuses to return as long as Bassul is coach.

Bassul's contract has expired. The cBB, the governing body of Brazilian basketball, has not decided who will coach the women's team - Bassul or someone else.

It's very interesting in Brazil.

(Thanks to Bert at the Painel do Basquete Feminino blog.)

Iziane 3, Bassul 0

Some surprising news from the Painel do Basquete Feminino blog. It looks like Paulo Bassul's days are numbered as the coach of the Brazilian women's basketball team.

My understanding is that it's leaking from the highest levels of Brazilian basketball that Bassul will be figuratively placed on an ice floe and set adrift at sea. Hortencia Marcari, playing the role of Donna Orender in Brazil, simply said "The issue is not the coach for now."

PBF thinks that Bassul is doomed. Not only is he doomed, this opens the door for Iziane Castro Marques to play for the Brazilian national team again. Everyone and his dog knew in Brazil that Bassul was the obstacle keeping Iziane from returning to the team. Iziane hates Bassul, and I suspect the feeling was mutual. Bassul wanted Iziane to at the very least make an act of contrition, but Iziane preferred not to play instead.

As PBF put it:

This bizarre situation has actually rewarding those who should be punished. The presence of Iziane is a matter of honor for Hortense, who has maintained frequent contacts with the wing and try to convince her to accept a new call. Without Bassul, it is certain that she will accept. It will be a three-pointer of indiscipline.

Izi Won't Come Back to Brazil if Bassul Coaches

The Painel do Basquete Feminino reports from Brazilian media that Hortência Marcari, the head of women's basketball in Brazil, was told by Iziane Castro Marques that she will not play for the Brazilian national team as long as Paulo Bassul is the coach.

Castro Marques's statements regarding the matter?

"We never closed the door for selection, but Paul and I have not able to work together. He does not accept my basketball, I said that."

"I will not have respect for a person like Bassul and he will not be able to teach me anything."

Bassul didn't argue, saying that Iziane has the right to think what she wants to think. Hortência hasn't completely given up, but she's now saying that the Brazilian team will simply go on without Castro Marques if necessary.

One would think that Castro Marques's statements should end the drama, but I suspect that it's not over yet.

Brazil Players Don't Want Izi Back?

From David Abramvezt Diario de S. Paulo, in Brazil:

Most players of the Brazilian team not you want to be partner of Iziane. They do not swallow the behavior of the wing-owner (guard), called to dispute the Copa America in late September. The biggest reason the hole is the unfortunate attitude of Iziane, who refused to come into court during a game of the Pre-Olympic World Cup, in Spain, in May last year and was cut by Paul Bassul the technical group that was to the Games of Beijing.

Unfortunately, the Portugese-English translator isn't working very well - oh, if I could only speak Portugese! Bloggers like Bert over at the Painel do Basquete Feminino think that something is crazy. But is it:

a) the reporter, who stated something that might not be true, or
b) Brazilian basketball, which seems determined to get Izi back on the Brazilian team despite opposition from both the head coach and (it seems) the players?

Meanwhile, In Brazil....

The drama about Iziane Castro Marques returning to the Brazilian women's basketball team continues to play itself out. When last we wrote about the topic, the head of women's basketball in Brazil - Hortência Marcari - discussed coming to Atlanta at the end of the season to talk to Izi personally about returning to the team. However, coach Paulo Bassul has something to say about that.

"Unlike "The Queen" (the nickname for Marcari, who was one of Brazil's greatest women's basketball players), which plans to go to the United States convince Iziane to return to the national team, Paula believes that the player in the Atlanta Dream is not essential for the Brazilian team.

""The Hortência who played a thousand times more than the Iziane never had an attitude like that. The worst is that it (Iziane) did not recognize the error. Is to apologize and Iziane never had that attitude. Now, they will fill the ball of her? "asked Paula, Iziane see that as a negative example for other players.

"(Iziane convene again) and give some privileges that can bring complications. Perhaps the Iziane not a good example for the players. In 20 years defending the Brazilian team, we should never refuse to come into court."

In a game against Belarus in the pre-Olympic tournament, coach Paulo Bassul asked Izi to come off the bench late in the game. Iziane had been sitting there for several quarters, and she flat out refused. Bassul threw her off the team and it's been controversy ever since.

(From Esportiva.net via the Painel do Basquete Feminino blog.)

Iziane Castro Marques Still Undecided About Brazilian Team

This is translated from the Painel do Basquete Feminino blog:

Director of women's basketball CBB (the Brazilian Basketball Confederation), the ex-player Hortência admitted this Tuesday, even called the wing Iziane not yet confirmed whether to accept back to defend the Brazilian team. The athlete, who is the WNBA in Atlanta, is the list of technical Paulo Bassul for Copa America.

"The Iziane need not answer now. We do not know if it will play. She is in the WNBA and the time it is classified (for the playoffs), it can not play. Now is the time it is disqualified, I take an airplane and immediately I go there, talk to her about the possibility," says the athlete.

In case you haven't been keeping up, the story is this: Izi was a member of the Brazilian women's team, and a dispute with coach Paulo Bassul led to Iziane refusing to go back on court when Bassul wanted her play. Izi got kicked off the team before the Olympics started.

So Hortência - who is in charge of women's basketball in Brazil - won't talk to Izi again until the Dream are eliminated from the playoffs. Let's hope that Hortência doesn't show up until October.

Peace in the Valley

With WNBA training camp now started, and with Iziane Castro Marques and Erika de Souza probably back in Atlanta by now, Iziane took care of one last piece of business before leaving.

Hortência, famous former Brazilian player and now director of women's basketball in Brazil, had to get Iziane Castro Marques and women's coach Paulo Bassul to agree to work together. Through e-mails and conversations, Iziane finally agreed that she'd do whatever was best for the Brazilian team.

There had been some question about whether or not Paulo Bassul should be reconfirmed as the coach of the Brazilian women's national team. That matter has now been settled - he's back. And he says that if Izi qualifies for selection (which is pretty much a given) that he welcomes her return and that she just needs to show a different attitude.

It will be interesting the first time the two take the court as coach and player for the same team.

(From globoesporte.com with help of the Painel do Basquete Feminino blog.)

Brazilian Coach on the Hot Spot

Iziane and Bassul, in happier days.

With the election of Carlos Nunes to the presidency of the Brazilian Basketball Confederation, there might be some big changes in Brazilian basketball - and the first change might be Paulo Bassul losing his job.

Paulo Bassul, if you recall, was the coach of the Brazilian women's Olympic basketball team. Last summer, he put Iziane Castro Marques on the bench, and when he asked her to come back on the court during an overtime period, she refused. She stated that she wasn't warmed up anymore, but there was clearly bad blood between Bassul and Castro Marques and the Brazilian press had a field day.

Nunez knows that Iziane is one of the best players in Brazil, and likely, he wants to see Iziane back on the Brazilian team. He might make the decision that it's easier to get a new coach than to get a new player.

My understanding is that Hortência - one of the all-time great Brazilian women's basketball players - is going to represent women's basketball on behalf of the Confederation. She was on Bassul's side in the dispute, but she might contact Castro Marques - who is vacationing in Maranhão - and ask her to return to the national team.

Iziane might indeed return. But can she and Paulo Bassul coexist on the same team?

(Heads up to the Painel do Basquete Femenino blog.)