Over the course of this week, Euroleague.net will be posting interviews with the Hoop District team captains
Getting to know: Tresco, Team Barcelona captain
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17 Mins read
The inaugural Hoop District tournament begins in Paris, France, on Saturday, so we caught up with Team Barcelona captain Tresco to find out a little more about him and his thoughts leading up to the event at Adidas Arena.
This is the fourth of six ‘getting to know’ interviews with the Hoop District captains that will be dropping this week. Find out what Tresco had to say below.
Tell us about yourself. Who is Tresco?
“I’m a Spanish YouTuber and I’ve been doing basketball content for about seven years now. I’ve been doing lots of different types of content, but what I like the most is to play and do projects that require other people to play: 3x3, 4x4, streetball. So when I heard about Hoop District, I thought it was a perfect fit for my community. I’m so happy to represent the whole Spanish community in this huge event.”
How did you come up with the name Tresco? What does it mean?
“So my two last names are Tres Escorihuela, so I played with it a little bit to make my mom and my dad happy. Tresco is the name I used to play with on game consoles for video games, so once I had a YouTube channel, I put it right away.”
How did you fall in love with the game of basketball?
“I started playing when I was very, very young – when I was three years old. My mom was a coach and my brother was playing, so I had to spend time after school at the club, but I was too young to join the team. My mom let me play with the bigger guys and then I started playing a lot with my brother. I became pretty good and ended up playing for [FC] Barcelona at youth level, and everything followed after that.”
You created the event ‘Ballers’, what was the inspiration behind that?
“So for me, ‘Ballers’ is my masterpiece after all these years. I took all my knowledge from basketball, also from content creation, and I got different inspirations – from content creators to TV shows. I chose the parts that I liked the most to create ‘Ballers’, so it was amazing. We had inspirations from AND1 streetball from the early 2000s, also from the Kings League here in Spain, which has made a big impact by having debates after the game, not just creating content on the games but also around the games. I also had ideas from American YouTubers who travel to different cities and compete against local teams, so it’s a mix of everything. We really think that it’s a great product, and hopefully this second season this year will go even better.”
Is there a particular basketball-related moment during your time as an influencer that particularly stands out?
“I have a lot! I would say that the opportunity to meet huge basketball stars. With the EuroLeague, with the project ‘The Eurogame’ a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with Ricky Rubio, which for me as a Spanish point guard, it was just an incredible experience. Also with Nike, I met Giannis [Antetokounmpo] when he brought out his first sneaker, so I would say those experiences. I’d also say ‘Ballers’. If I had to choose one of the cities, I would choose ‘Ballers: Madrid’, where it was just unreal – there were more than 1,000 people watching a game created by myself!”
Have any EuroLeague players inspired you? Who were your idols as a kid and also in present day?
“I’ve been following the EuroLeague for a long time, and I’m a Barcelona fan, as you can expect. My favorite player of all time is Juan Carlos Navarro. As a player, I used to love Vassilis Spanoulis. I would say that these two are just crazy. I would also say some Real Madrid players. I played against Luka Doncic and I know him personally, so seeing him so well in the EuroLeague and now in the NBA is unreal. I have a lot of inspirations from the EuroLeague.”
When you’re out on the court, which EuroLeague player most closely resembles your style of play?
“I’m much, much worse than any name I could say, but as for the style of play, I would say Sergio ‘Chacho’ Rodriguez because I am a point guard, really creative, and I like to shoot as well. Not much defense – I hope he doesn’t hear me – but very creative, trying to find the best option for the team. Skinny, a bit short, but really fun to watch. With a lot of distance, but I would say ‘Chacho’.”
What criteria did you look for when picking your team?
“I think it was a tough decision. Knowing that we had to do two guys and two girls, which I think is amazing, I firstly chose to have another creator with me as this event is created to play but also to create. Having Ari Geli on my team is something that I wouldn’t have even thought about because we’ve never been in a project together, and we’re two of the most powerful content creators here in Spain. After having Ari, for the two remaining places we developed a one-on-one tournament for all the community, which I think is the fairest way to do it if we want to say that we are representing the whole Spanish community. In the tournament, the best person wins and there’s nothing more to talk about – it was the best option. Last Saturday [March 16] we had this event and it was amazing to see 16 guys fighting for that place. Imanol won and we are so happy to have him. I’m sure he’ll represent us in the best way possible.”
Which Hoop District team could be the trickiest to face?
“Paris, for sure, as they’re playing at home. Also Berlin. Whoever classifies is going to play against Berlin at their home and with a huge prize, so I’m sure they’ll go for the whole thing. I’ll also say the Italians, both Team Milan and Team Bologna. I think Italy has a great basketball culture. They’ll have a lot of energy and they’re very hot-blooded, so they’ll fight very hard.”
What does it mean for you to be a Team Captain?
“I’m really proud. For me, being chosen from all the creators that are here in Spain – one of the toughest communities because we have a lot of creators – is a pleasure, it’s an honor, but it’s also a responsibility to make the best decisions so that the community is represented in the best way possible. That’s why we did this 1x1 event. We had some creators play – they didn’t end up winning – but for me, it was meaningful that they got involved and they went there on a Saturday morning to fight for one spot. It meant that our job to represent the community was successful. I’m so happy that everyone is involved in Team Barcelona. It’s an honor, but also a responsibility to do it in the best way possible because we need to win. We want to be the best community here.”