Lucas Fernandes Mariano (born 24 September 1993) is a Brazilian
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who plays for
Franca
Franca is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The city is located in the northeastern portion of the state, distant 401 km (249 mi) from the state capital (São Paulo), and 676 km (420 mi) from Brasilia. It covers a total area of ...
of the
NBB.
Youth career
Born in
Planaltina, Lucas moved with his family to
Franca
Franca is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The city is located in the northeastern portion of the state, distant 401 km (249 mi) from the state capital (São Paulo), and 676 km (420 mi) from Brasilia. It covers a total area of ...
when he was just five years old. Encouraged by his mother, a former professional athlete with passages through Brasília, Ponta Grossa and Franca, Lucas began his career in basketball at Escola Lance Livre, aged just seven. At age 11, he joined the ASPA (Association of Parents and Friends of Franca Basketball), which serves as the base for Franca.
Professional career
In the first seasons for the professional team, Lucas had little time on the court, often not even leaving the bench. The situation changed in the 2012–13 season, when Lula Ferreira replaced Hélio Rubens in charge of the Franca team. Lula took on the challenge of renewing the group and betting on the base. Eventually, Mariano became one of the team's top players and one of Brazil's most promising young players.
Lucas faced major complications at the beginning of the following season in the middle of the quarterfinals of the
Campeonato Paulista, he lost his younger brother, in the next game of the series Lucas was dismissed and his brother was honored with a minute of silence.The 2014–15 season marked Lucas' maturity in the Franca team. Alongside Léo Meindl, he led Franca to the semifinals in the Campeonato Paulista and fifth place in the 2014–15 NBB qualifying phase, guaranteeing a place for the club in the 2015
LSB champion.
Signed by
Mogi das Cruzes
Mogi das Cruzes ( or ) is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, located within the metropolitan region of the state capital of the city of São Paulo. The population is 450,785 (2020 est.) in an area of 713 km2. It is located 40&n ...
for the 2015–16 season, Lucas was officially presented in July. Three months later, he played in his first final for Mogi, being defeated by
São José and taking the vice-championship in Campeonato Paulista.Mogi would end up eliminated in the
NBB Playoffs. After leaving Mogi das Cruzes, Mariano played for
Lobos Brasília and he was considered at the time one of the best centers in the league. Later agreeing to play for
Vasco da Gama, then
Bauru
Bauru () is a Brazilian municipality in midwestern region of the state of São Paulo. It is the main city of the mesoregion and microregion of Bauru. The population is 379,297 (2020 est.) in an area of 667.68 km². Established in 1896, ...
and
Botafogo
Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood ('' bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of ...
.
According to the websites, Mariano's performance during the 2020-21
Novo Basquete Brasil
Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) (English language, English: New Basketball Brazil) is the Brazilian premier professional men's basketball league. It is organized by the Liga Nacional de Basquete (LNB) (National Basketball League), in a new format of B ...
season was the best of his career.
Rightly, Lucas Mariano was named the league's
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
ahead of
Georginho and
Lucas Dias.
Lucas averaged 19.8 points, 7.4 rebounds at 20.1 efficiency.
During his MVP season, he mostly played the
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
position.
With
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, he became the league's vice champion.
Lucas Mariano was also selected for the league's first team alongside
Georginho,
Lucas Dias, and
Marquinhos
Marcos Aoás Corrêa (born 14 May 1994), known as Marquinhos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, which he captains, and the Brazil national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can ...
and
David Jackson.
After his return to
Franca
Franca is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The city is located in the northeastern portion of the state, distant 401 km (249 mi) from the state capital (São Paulo), and 676 km (420 mi) from Brasilia. It covers a total area of ...
in 2021, in his first six games he was already his team's top scorer in the
Campeonato Paulista and the second highest scorer in the competition, with an average of 20.3 points per game. He led his team to a 5-1 initial record with its sole loss to
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
.Mariano and his team would finish as champions in the
2021–22 NBB season.
National team
He has been a member of the
Brazilian national basketball team
The Brazil national basketball team is governed by the Brazilian Basketball Confederation ( pt, Confederação Brasileira de Basketball), abbreviated as CBB. They have been a member of the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), since 19 ...
since he was young. Lucas was called up for Brazil team for the
2016 South American Basketball Championship
The 2016 South American Basketball Championship was the 47th edition of the FIBA South American Basketball Championship. Ten teams were featured in the competition, which were held in Caracas, Venezuela from June 26 – July 2, 2016. The top five ...
,
2017 FIBA AmeriCup and
2022 FIBA AmeriCup
The 2022 FIBA AmeriCup was the 19th edition of the FIBA AmeriCup, the main tournament for senior men's basketball national teams of the FIBA Americas. The tournament was played in Recife, Brazil, as Brasília was dropped as a second host city mont ...
, winning two silver medal with Brazil in the process.
Career statistics
NBB
Regular season
Playoffs
LDB
Regular season
Playoffs
Personal
Mariano's mother was a professional basketball player, also for Franca, while his father was a handball player. He has two younger brothers, one who passed away and the other who plays for Franca's youth team.
He lost one of his younger brother to drowning during the 2014-15 season, an event that deeply affected him.
Lucas admires NBA basketball player
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Boogie", he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wil ...
, even saying that their styles are alike.
References
External links
FIBA ProfileChampions League ProfileLatinbasket.com ProfileRealGM.com ProfileProballers.com ProfileNBB Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mariano, Lucas
1993 births
Living people
Brazilian men's basketball players
Centers (basketball)
Sportspeople from Goiás
Power forwards (basketball)
São Paulo FC basketball players
Franca Basquetebol Clube players