History of Cuban NT

    are you asking just about players up to the 2000 NT?


    regla torres has been trying her hand as coach, she was the assistant coach of women's NT, at least i remember seeing her on the sidelines coaching the team, but not as the head coach. i think she's one that never left the island (i.e. play abroad).


    some players left to play abroad, including ruiz and bell, i think.


    aguero of course became an italian and played for ITA NT.

    Regla Torres, aka the best volleyball player of the 20th century, played until 2002 at the WCH but she retired after that.


    Not only Ruiz got the bronze medal in Athens 2004 after winning the gold in Sydney 2000, but also Ana Íbis Fernandez, Marta Sanchez and Zoila Barros.

    Thank you :win:

    I realized that Torres had a knee injury that forced her to retire quite early. I don't know why I forgot A.I. Fernandez:gone:

    BTW I'm still sure that the escape of Agüero left a big hole in 2001, no one could replace her

    Quote from Spyro

    I have another question,Cuba boycotted the Olympics in 1988, could they win that tournament? I wasn't born yet so I don't know but there are too many "if" about Cuban volleyball and I don't like it :pinch:

    We'll never know but they completely smashed USA, Brazil and Peru at the 1987 pan american games (which was a serious competition back then) and then won world cup 89 very easily as well.

    I think at the very least they would have played the final in Seoul.

    The biggest cuban tragedy for me is however their men's team. They wasted not one but TWO great generations of players... The one they had at the end of the 90s with Marshall, Dennis, Hernández, etc who escaped in early 2002. They should have had their peak at the 2002 WCh and 2004 OG.


    And then, most recently, their 2010 WCh team with León, Leal, Simón, Juantorena, etc.


    I'm convinced Brazil wouldn't have dominated so much this century if the cubans didn't screw themselves twice.

    I also think that it's a bigger waste of potential on the men's side, but it's hard for me to hold sympathy for the Cuban men team after Finland.

    Yes, I know it's unrelated to those best players, but it's something that just cast a huge stain on Cuban volleyball for me.

    Quote from Spyro

    I have another question,Cuba boycotted the Olympics in 1988, could they win that tournament? I wasn't born yet so I don't know but there are too many "if" about Cuban volleyball and I don't like it :pinch:


    i've always wondered that too... i'm not as young as you, but i didn't follow VB for many years, so i mostly know VB from the 2000's forward (and even then a lot of it retrospectively by watching matches on YT, i'll get to the 90's eventually).


    the worse thing is the reason CUB boycotted seoul... due to solidarity with NK, and yet, what did they get out of it? dumb, dumb, dumb.

    Quote from ossubtus

    the worse thing is the reason CUB boycotted seoul... due to solidarity with NK, and yet, what did they get out of it? dumb, dumb, dumb.

    It's worse because they also boycotted 1984 in USA. So, those were a full 12 years without olympic action for cuban volleyball. They came back ferocious in Barcelona, and not only in Vball, they won a lot of gold medals in many sports.

    i don't know much of the VB scene back then, but CUB only finished 5th in moscow in 1980* and 5th at the 1982 WCh, so while they were a world power by 1984, they were not yet the top team...


    * (moscow was boycotted, so no US, KOR, JPN -- CHN was also due to debut at the 1980 olympics, i think, but due to the US-led boycott, they postponed to 1984 -- the following year, lang ping led CHN to its first WC and world title, in 1981)


    CUB had won the 1978 WCh, their first title -- a huge surprise back then... but i think it took them another decade or so to get to the top of the world. maybe Leonardo can tell us more.


    btw, have you seen this video below? it is very interesting to hear the CUB legends speak of their conquests through the years. there's also some vids on YT on the battle between BRA and CUB players in the 90's, but i think it's only in portuguese.



    https://www.olympicchannel.com…ibbean-girls-arriba-cuba/

    In that video Mireya said that the team was very hungry for victories after missing 2 Olympics. It was emotional to see everyone reunited at the end, Costa was crying a little ;(

    BTW I've always found interesting Cuban system with 2 setters on court, I would like to see it again :S Also Cuban middles like Torres and Carvajal used to spike those higher and slower balls in the middle and no one does that nowadays :/

    "When they looked at my face, without me saying a word, they'd realise they couldn't beat me"... Cuba in a nutshell


    And that part about the coach... So beautiful! I'm not crying! You're crying! ;(

    Quote from Spyro

    In that video Mireya said that the team was very hungry for victories after missing 2 Olympics. It was emotional to see everyone reunited at the end, Costa was crying a little ;(

    BTW I've always found interesting Cuban system with 2 setters on court, I would like to see it again :S Also Cuban middles like Torres and Carvajal used to spike those higher and slower balls in the middle and no one does that nowadays :/

    From what I remembered, Rachel Sanchez and Shion of Japan do this. But on the right.


    From Korea, Yang Yo-Jhin does this all the time in most or her matches. It's only when Lavarini came in that she is "forced" to do quick or slides.

    Quote from LDvolley

    We'll never know but they completely smashed USA, Brazil and Peru at the 1987 pan american games (which was a serious competition back then) and then won world cup 89 very easily as well.

    I think at the very least they would have played the final in Seoul.

    They were already a powerhouse during the 2nd half of the 1980s. If they joined 1988, they could easily make it to the finals. I mean, they were whipping Peru that got silver at that time. It's a huge what if but I believe that they could've gotten 4 straight gold medals.


    If the Cuban federation made some changes in allowing their players to go abroad and not take their money, they will still be at the top or at least in the top 5 of the volleyball standing.

    Quote from ravhin

    From what I remembered, Rachel Sanchez and Shion of Japan do this. But on the right.


    From Korea, Yang Yo-Jhin does this all the time in most or her matches. It's only when Lavarini came in that she is "forced" to do quick or slides.


    CUB MBs were famous for attacking high balls in pos. 3, carrillo, barros and sanchez did it in 2004/2008.


    here's a traumatic experience for BRA, their semi vs. CUB in 2000...