The first Chilean to ever play at the top levels in Europe, Sebastian Herrera continues to represent his homeland while reaching new heights
Sebastian Herrera, Paris: 'I want to bring the Chilean flag to more celebrations'
Interviews
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Sebastian Herrera of Paris Basketball has a chance to make history as the first-ever Chilean to win the BKT EuroCup. He did his part to further the cause in Game 1 of the EuroCup Finals on Tuesday as he scored 11 points with just 1 missed shot to help Paris start the best-of-three series with a 77-64 victory over Mincidelice JL Bourgb en Bresse.
Herrera is also the first-ever Chilean to play at the elite European level and he hopes to open the door for many countrymen to follow in his footsteps in the future. His entry into European basketball was a mix of being at the right place at the right time, but basketball has been in his family since he was born.
"Unfortunately, basketball is not very popular in Chile. My dad played professional basketball in Chile for a couple of years and had a scholarship to play basketball at a university in the 1980s," Herrera said. "Besides, we always had a basketball hoop at home and I played there when I was a kid, so basketball was always in my life. Also, my dad used to play in senior tournaments for people over 40 and over 50. When I was a kid, I went to see my dad play every Sunday. Basketball was always present in my house."
Herrera was a good prospect from a young age and played for the Chilen national team at different age groups, including at the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Under-18 World Tournament. There his strong play got him noticed and - along with a little help from his mother's heritage - led to offers to play professionally.
"We always had a basketball hoop at home and I played there when I was a kid, so basketball was always in my life."
"I played well, with a big role, even though we didn't play well as a team because we lost almost all the games. Still, it was a tremendous experience for me," Herrera recalled. "Obviously, young players try to leave Chile, because there is no future there, and play abroad. I had a European passport because my mom is German. She has been living in Chile for 35 years, but she made sure I had a German passport and that's the luck I needed."
After the Schweitzer tournament, Herrera received a few offers and accepted one from TBB Trier in Germany, where he would see playing time right away. Even though Chilean and German basketball are completely different, Herrera had more trouble off the court: different habits, different weather, a different way of living for a Chilean teenager coming to Europe to try to make a career in basketball.
"My main problem was adjusting to life in Europe. It was a different language and life in Germany was very strict, with a lot of rules. I was in a school in which things were different. I was on my own and I believe that was more difficult than anything basketball-related," Herrera said, pointing out that the basketball side was not that difficult.
"I had the luck to join a small team that also played the U19 German League, which is also a good competition. That allowed me to get playing time right away, and I quickly had a good role. I didn't have to fight for playing time; they needed me from the moment I arrived, I played a lot of minutes and made the most out of my chances. I showed I could play and luckily, things went well for me that first season."
After three seasons with Trier, the last two in the German second division, Herrera joined Crailsheim Merlins, which was then coached by current Paris boss Tuomas Iisalo. It was the start of a player-coach relationship that has spanned three clubs. Crailsheim was promoted to the German elite and managed to avoid relegation at the very last moment of a critical 2018-19 season, which Herrera and Coach Iisalo saw as the ultimate learning experience.
"Tuomas and I started from the bottom. I remember when he took me to Crailsheim. It was a German second division team and I was 19 years old. That changed my life, so to speak, because we were immediately promoted. We had a good first season. Then in our second year, we almost went back to the second division. It was a very bad year but Tuomas learned a lot, I am sure he will tell you, too," Herrera said. "That season made him who he is right now, he learned a lot and after that, we were in the top six spots of the standings for six or seven months until COVID stopped everything."
Herrera went on to play for EWE Baskets Oldenburg for a couple of years before joining forces with Coach Iisalo again last season. They helped Telekom Baskets Bonn win the BCL and reach the German League finals. When Coach Iisalo moved to Paris, he brought six of his former Bonn players with him including Herrera, who is grateful for the new opportunity, which now includes a chance to win the EuroCup and reach the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
"We were lucky that Paris almost gave Tuomas the keys to the city, allowing him to sign his players, the guys he trusts and won titles with. For us, it was a very logical decision, too. First, all of us are trying to climb the European basketball ladder and Paris was a very logical step for us," Herrera said. "That allowed us to keep working with Tuomas, who is very demanding, but at the same time, we have a lot of respect and a lot of trust in him. And also, Paris wants to be a EuroLeague team and increased its budget to do it."
"Tuomas Iisalo is very demanding, but at the same time, we have a lot of respect and a lot of trust in him."
Herrera has been with Coach Iisalo longer than any other player, making him the right person to discuss Iisalo's successful coaching ways. It all starts with demanding practices, which are probably harder than the games themselves, and some simple rules that are difficult, at least initially, to institute. Coach Iisalo takes pride in bringing out his players' best, too.
"It is a very intensive brand of basketball. He always says that he wants to play with numbers on offense and defense. That means having more players than the opponent running on offense, and more players on defense. Our practices are intense, physically and mentally demanding. Obviously, he recruited the right players. We have a lot of confidence, trust each other and the chemistry is good. And that is shown in our results," Herrera said. "We call it the possessions game and it is very important. I mean, having less turnovers than the opponent, grabbing more rebounds and taking more shots than them, too. This is something we practice and that has a lot of value for us."
Last season, Herrera celebrated winning the BCL in Malaga, Spain, wrapped up in a Chilean flag. This time, he hopes to do the same either in Paris or Bourg en Bresse.
"I am not done. I believe I can climb a couple more steps representing Chile because that's where I learned to play basketball and where I still play at the national team level, where my family is," Herrera said. "I want to bring the Chilean flag to more trophy celebrations."