Scott Machado visited Brazil when he was 8 years old and learned to speak the language growing up as his entire family spoke Portuguese. Good thing, too – the Iona College point guard will be prepared for the next two months as he tries out for the Brazilian National Team.
Machado, a rising 6-foot-1 senior from Queens, was invited by national team assistant coach Walter Roese after he saw the Gaels in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. An assistant for Hawaii, Roese was told about Machado’s roots and felt he would be a perfect fit after watching him up close.
“It’s really great to get my name out there, to get my team’s name out there,” said Machado, whose parents, Luiz and Solenir, were born in Brazil. “I’m excited to go back to play for them.”
Iona coach Tim Cluess said: “Being able to play for a national team is an incredible opportunity for Scott to experience. It speaks very highly of the player that Scott is and what he’s helping to accomplish at Iona.”
If Machado doesn’t make the national team, he will play for the U21 club before returning to school in September. Both are scheduled to compete in the 26th annual World University Games in China from Aug. 11 to 21.
“I was surprised and excited,” said Machado, who led Iona to a second-place finish in the MAAC and spot in the conference title game. “It was just something big and new I wanted to do. It makes me feel honored and blessed the way they found me.”
Machado will be tested while in Brazil, playing against older competition under international rules. The level of play won’t be too different for Machado, who has played in the city’s unlimited streetball circuit for years.
“It’s gonna help me expand my game in a variety of ways,” he said. “I don’t know the players I’m going to be playing with. I know I’m gonna have to adjust.”
His credentials are hard to argue with: a three-year starter who has led Iona to consecutive winning seasons and averaged 13 points and 7.5 assists per game as a junior. Machado was voted first team All-MAAC this past year and was a second team All-MAAC selection as a sophomore. He also broke the school’s 22-year-old assists record for a season, set by Glenn Grand during the 1988-1989 season and eclipsed 1,000 points for his career.
Machado is also excited to see his homeland as it has been over a decade since he’s been there. Of course, that will be secondary. Machado is there for basketball.
“I take it a challenge,” he said. “I want to prove I can play at a higher level after college. I want to show I’m capable of playing a different level of basketball.”