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<\/dt>\nCatarina Ferreira\u2019s trophy case is quickly running out of room.<\/p>\n
The Oregon State women\u2019s basketball guard earned herself a silver medal at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile, as a member of the Brazilian National Team on Sunday. It\u2019s her second major honor of 2025, and one that should pair nicely alongside the first \u2014 her West Coast Conference Tournament MVP trophy \u2014 on the mantle.<\/p>\n
Her on-court action in the AmeriCup was limited, playing off the bench in all seven games, but Ferreira called the opportunity to play with her home country\u2019s national team a dream come true. The uniforms, the competition level and the meaning of the games are vastly different, but Ferreira says that one door doesn\u2019t open without the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like they go together,\u201d Ferreira told the Portland Tribune about what her selection to the Brazilian National Team meant to her prior to the trip. \u201cI\u2019m representing my country and I\u2019m representing Oregon State (when I play), It\u2019s kind of both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferreira\u2019s selection to Team Brazil\u2019s roster and the new hardware that came with it was more than just a dream. It was the culmination of five years of hard work, overcoming homesickness, and unlocking the potential that the Beavers\u2019 Director of Player Personnel, Eric Ely, had seen on display three years earlier.<\/p>\n
A Brazilian Wedding<\/strong> It\u2019s been decades since the 67-year-old played professionally in the country. But the memories of cultural immersion, small details of living abroad and major life changes flood back, regardless of the time passed. A piece of Brazil never left Ely, meeting and marrying his wife, Regina, during his time there.<\/p>\n \u201cI cried during the whole wedding,\u201d Ely said, recalling his wedding day. \u201cI kind of couldn\u2019t believe I was finally getting married, I was 29. I had a beautiful bride and all of her family was there \u2014 (and) she\u2019s got a really large family.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly 40 years later and the pair are still married, with children and grandchildren to chase around now. Eric is fluent in Regina\u2019s native tongue of Portuguese and Regina traded her home of Brazil for Eric\u2019s in the United States.<\/p>\n Eric has spent all but two years (a brief stint as an assistant coach at Texas Tech during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons) of Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck\u2019s 15 seasons at the helm of the program in a variety of roles. While Regina isn\u2019t officially a member of the staff, her name is mentioned alongside Eric\u2019s in his coach\u2019s bio for her behind-the-scenes support.<\/p>\n It was the Elys\u2019 commitment to the program\u2019s culture as well as Regina\u2019s heritage that helped bring out the best in Ferreira.<\/p>\n Temporarily Texans<\/strong> Ferreira\u2019s squad was playing at the junior college national tournament in Lubbock and Eric was in attendance scouting the talent. Ferreira stood out, with Eric citing her 3-point shooting ability and athleticism as the calling cards. Despite his recruiting efforts, Ferriera was destined to be a Baylor Bear that recruiting cycle.<\/p>\n But after two starts in as many seasons with Baylor, Ferreira found herself in the transfer portal and looking for a new home. Eric didn\u2019t miss this time, drawing on his four years in her home country and the cultural knowledge he married into.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was good for me to remind her that I had watched and recruited her some in junior college,\u201d Eric said. \u201cBut the most impactful thing \u2014 this I learned from living in Brazil \u2014 is the parents are super tight with their kids usually. They want to be involved. So I knew that right away if we were going to have a shot at this girl, we had to get her parents involved\u2026 (Coach Rueck) and I did a FaceTime call with her mom and I translated as much as I could.<\/p>\n \u201c(Coach Rueck) pretty much said, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to take care of your daughter. We want her and we\u2019re going to take care of her.\u2019 (Ferreira\u2019s mom) heard that and felt comfortable saying Oregon State was going to be a good place for her.\u201d<\/p>\n Eric and Rueck got the family approval they were after, and Ferreira committed to Oregon State as a graduate student after smoothing over some of her own concerns \u2014 namely playing time.<\/p>\n \u201cIf anyone says you\u2019re going to play a lot, they\u2019re lying to you,\u201d Eric said, recalling the conversation. \u201cBecause they don\u2019t know. Nobody knows for sure. I told her, \u2018We\u2019re not recruiting you because we want you to sit on the bench. We\u2019re recruiting you because we think you can play.’\u201d<\/p>\n Special Delivery<\/strong> Ferreira\u2019s biggest bugaboo, her propensity for falling down and ending up on the hardwood, was tracked by the staff. She was pushed to develop her 3-point game and \u2014 even after starting 24 of Oregon State\u2019s 25 prior games \u2014 found herself on the bench to hone her focus back in after a lackluster start.<\/p>\n But no matter how hard the work got or how badly she missed home, there was always a slice of Brazil at the Elys\u2019 home.<\/p>\n \u201c(Their Brazilian heritage) helped when I was making my decision, just because I can go to (Eric\u2019s) office, and we can speak Portuguese,\u201d Ferreira said. \u201cA few months ago, I went to (Eric and Regina\u2019s) house for dinner, and she made Brazilian food. So it just means a lot to have someone like that. He\u2019ll reach out to my parents and talk to them and that\u2019s something I didn\u2019t have before.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferreira had a kindred soul in Regina, who told stories about cooking Brazilian staples like black beans and rice and p\u00e3o de queijo, a traditional Brazilian cheese bread. Ferreira isn\u2019t the only Beaver the Elys\u2019 would host, often opening their home to the team for meals, but the two Brazilians empathized with one another on their experiences in their native tongue.<\/p>\n \u201cI understood so many of her concerns,\u201d Regina said. \u201cSo every time we got together, I was able to talk to her about adjusting to a new culture, a new place\u2026 We can have conversations together and reminisce and say what we miss about our country and how things are done there that are different here. So it\u2019s very uplifting to be able to speak in Portuguese together.\u201d<\/p>\n The Elys also keep a South American soda, Guarana Antarctica, that isn\u2019t available in the States on hand, too. Eric says it\u2019s the little things that help keep the promise made to her parents.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of these kids get homesick if they don\u2019t have some type of connection (to home) or something where they can just know people care and love them,\u201d Eric said. \u201cWe see it as keeping our promise to take care of their daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n West Coast, Best Coast<\/strong> She could hoop.<\/p>\n After hovering at or below a .500 winning percentage for the majority of the 2024-25 season, the Beavers got hot at the right time. Oregon State entered the West Coast Conference tournament as the No. 4-seed and rattled off three-straight wins in as many days \u2014 including ones over No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Portland. When the confetti settled, it was the Beavers celebrating in it, emerging as WCC tournament champions with a ticket punched for the program\u2019s second-straight March Madness berth.<\/p>\n At the center of it was Ferreira. She was a double-double threat in each of the three games, averaging 18 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field and 70% from 3-point range. None of the figures were career-highs or some magical late-season fix. But the stretch of dominance on both ends of the floor earned her the WCC tournament\u2019s MVP award. It was proof of concept for the coaching staff that coveted her, and for Ferreira herself.<\/p>\n \u201cI had the mentality that I\u2019m here for a reason,\u201d Ferreira said. \u201cI worked hard for this and I\u2019m on a team where people believe in me\u2026 Being where people have confidence and belief in you makes a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Rueck and Eric\u2019s belief brought the best out of Ferreira, and the success opened life-changing doors.<\/p>\n Whirlwind<\/strong> Oregon State\u2019s season ended disappointingly in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA tournament, falling 70-49 at the hands of No. 3 North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Beavers\u2019 year was over, but Ferreira\u2019s wasn\u2019t. The Brazilian National Team was assembling itself for the new Olympic cycle and had taken notice of Ferreira\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think they would\u2019ve noticed if we didn\u2019t win or we weren\u2019t winning,\u201d Ferreira said. \u201cPart of that is finishing the way we finished in the conference games and winning the WCC tournament. So I want to say part of (my selection) was winning the tournament and myself winning the MVP.\u201d<\/p>\n With Team Brazil, Ferreira tasted the next of her basketball career-goals \u2014 the WNBA and The Olympic Games.<\/p>\n She kicked off May playing her first minutes for Team Brazil in preseason matchups against two of the most high-profile teams The W has to offer, the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. Ferreira got solid action against both, playing north of 15 minutes in each game and facing some of the best players in the world.<\/p>\n \u201c(Caitlin Clark) hit a three in my face! I was like, \u2018Yep, hands up next time.\u201d Ferreira laughed. \u201cIt was a surreal moment. Still, even a week after, I was like, \u2018that actually happened?\u2019 I was playing on national TV with, like, the greatest players (in the sport).\u201d<\/p>\n Ferreira added that she\u2019s hard time comprehending how quickly her life as a basketball player has changed in the last year. Going from a reserve player as a senior at Baylor, to graduate-student MVP at Oregon State, to a member of the Brazilian National Team at the AmeriCup. Her successes warmed the hearts of the Elys.<\/p>\n \u201cI was happy for her and her family,\u201d Eric said. \u201cI was really happy for her parents, because her parents trusted us enough\u2026 (Ferreira) trusted us enough. And anytime someone trusts you and it comes to fruition, that\u2019s always comforting and rewarding.<\/p>\n Regina echoed her husband\u2019s thoughts, taking pride in her fellow countrywoman\u2019s work.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so gratifying for me to see her shine,\u201d Regina said. \u201cAnd shine so bright that it caught the attention of Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n One last time<\/strong> The 2024-25 season was supposed to be Ferreira\u2019s last. But a December 2024 ruling by a federal judge in Tennessee and the NCAA Board of Directors\u2019 subsequent blanket waiver granting all NCAA athletes who had played one or more seasons at a non-NCAA institution one more year of eligibility opened another door for Ferreira. With two junior college seasons under her belt, Ferreira qualified and announced her return to Oregon State for the 2025-26 season, her sixth, in February.<\/p>\n For Ferreira, it\u2019s one more opportunity for her parents to see her play college basketball in person.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I think about having another year, that\u2019s something (that sticks out),\u201d Ferreira said. \u201cOkay, mom and dad, you guys have one more opportunity to come see me \u2014 and I\u2019ve been here for five years. We can\u2019t control that. My mom tried to get her visa before and was denied. It\u2019s just complicated to get one, especially when they think (she\u2019s) trying to stay here. In reality, she\u2019s just trying to come and visit me. But we\u2019ll work on that, I\u2019m going home now and we can work on that.\u201d<\/p>\n For the five seasons she\u2019s played in the United States, Ferreira\u2019s parents haven\u2019t been able to make the trip to come and see her play. According to Eric, Ferreira\u2019s parents weren\u2019t able to see their daughter graduate from Baylor, either.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sore spot for Ferreira, who called the situation \u201cupsetting\u201d, but added that she knows it isn\u2019t a problem exclusive to her and has made it a point to make a trip home to San Paulo every summer.<\/p>\n The world of visas and international travel is murky at best, but Eric has a plan he hopes can spark a stateside family reunion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to write some letters,\u201d Eric said. \u201cI\u2019m going to ask the (Mayor of Corvallis, Charles Maughan,) to write letters for her mom and dad to be able to get here next year. And I\u2019m going to try to see about sending one to (Oregon Governor Tina Kotek\u2019s) office, too, for them to write letters on behalf of (Ferreira) to try to get her parents visas to be able to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferreira is hopeful that the visas can be worked out, but regardless of what happens, she has a simple plan for her sixth season of college basketball.<\/p>\n \u201cJust make it the best season ever,\u201d She said. \u201cLast one, best one.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oregon State guard\u2019s Team Brazil path paved by love, confidence Published 9:11 am Saturday, July 12, 2025 Oregon…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":61533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[1339,44256,26917,44257,44258,1317,1337,1338,9718,44259,1364,44260,44261,44262,44263,62,67,132,68,3357],"class_list":{"0":"post-61532","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-beaver-basketball","10":"tag-beavers","11":"tag-catarina-ferreira","12":"tag-eric-ely","13":"tag-ncaa","14":"tag-ncaa-basketball","15":"tag-ncaabasketball","16":"tag-oregon-state","17":"tag-oregon-state-athletics","18":"tag-oregon-state-beavers","19":"tag-oregon-state-womens-basketball","20":"tag-osu-womens-basketball","21":"tag-regina-ely","22":"tag-scott-rueck","23":"tag-sports","24":"tag-united-states","25":"tag-unitedstates","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-womens-basketball"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114844450393844248","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Over 6,000 miles north of Santiago, Ely sits on the baseline of Oregon State\u2019s Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, reminiscing about his four years living in Brazil.<\/p>\n
Eric remembers the first time he saw the 6-foot Brazilian guard play basketball. She was finishing her sophomore season in the JUCO ranks at Eastern Arizona while Eric was on staff at Texas Tech.<\/p>\n
Once Ferreira got to Corvallis, Eric, Rueck and the rest of the Beavers\u2019 coaching staff pushed her hard.<\/p>\n
Along with the off-court care, Ferreira\u2019s trophy case proves what Eric said when he recruited her.<\/p>\n
Ferreira\u2019s phone started ringing with calls from unknown numbers back home no less than a week after her tournament performance.<\/p>\n
The ride, however, isn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n