What it’s like to love and have fun playing basketball

10-01-2014 13:21 | Todor Dimitrov

On Thursday night a woman showed everybody that if you love basketball, there is not an age limit in the game. Lidiya Varbanova who turned 43 in the end of last year was the best played on the court in “Universiada” hall in the derby Levski – Haskovo 2012. This is not a mistake! 43 years old! She was above all with her character, abilities and loyalty to the great game of basketball.

This girl, because for me she will always be a girl, from Varna who came in Sofia about 25 years ago gave a real basketball lesson to all her teammates and opponents many of whom can be her daughters. For sure not one of them remembers how she made basket after basket for Cherno More’s youth teams bringing her defenders to despair. Just like she did it last night. How didn’t she get tired playing 40 minutes with no substitution? She scored 40 points and added 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. She only missed three shots and had efficiency of 32.

Knowing Lidiyas character I am sure this will not be her best game for the season. She in from the generation that hated losing, living tough through every loss and knew not only how to win but to win in such a way to give pleasure to the fans.

We needed such Bulgarian player to be an example for her young fellows in our championship for a long time. I hope they want to learn and know that an average player plays 2-3 good games in a row, the really good player plays 4-5 good games and the excellent player plays 9-10 such games. In Bulgaria I don’t know of another player besides Lidiya who can do that. Because she still loves and has fun playing basketball!