Abner Moreira never picked up a basketball until he was 15 years old.
Growing up in Brazil, he spent his time swimming, playing hand ball and soccer. The now 6-foot-9 senior forward for Idaho State played goal keeper during his time on the pitch.
Over the course of time, his friends eventually talked him into picking up hoops. That move has turned out to pay dividends for Moreira as basketball has allowed him to get an education in the United States.
“I started playing soccer but my friends always told me because I was really tall that I could be successful in basketball,” Moreira said. “I started playing basketball and I really liked it.”
Moreira wouldn't call his first year a success on the hardwood floor.
“My first year I was really bad,” he said. “I didn't know the rules. I played really well my second year.”
The Bengal senior added that he was tall for his age and that with basketball he found something he could use his height for. While he didn't play the sport until he was 15, Moreira admitted that he would stay up late and watch the NBA on television.
“I started to get really good and started to like it,” Moreira said. “It gave me confidence.”
Moreira eventually found his way to Western Wyoming Junior College thanks to a connection one of his coaches in Brazil had with the head coach at the school. While playing there, he averaged nine points and 7.7 rebounds a game.
Since coming to Idaho State, Moreira has been an impact for the Bengals on the boards and has shown great strength and a softball touch around the basket. The hard work on the court can be attributed to the lessons he has learned from his father and his first basketball coach back home.
“My first coach in Brazil pushed me really hard and always taught me to do everything right because in the future I would use it for something,” Moreira said. “My dad always taught me that basketball was something that would help me for other things like my education. Basketball is a door that can open other doors for me.”
Moreira is majoring in journalism with a minor in marketing. He hopes to continue his basketball career overseas, but if it doesn't work out the he hopes to use his education to obtain work in the United States.
“I like sports journalism,” Moreira said. “I used to read the paper and see the news. I just like to write and I was always a really good writer.”
While it is early in his senior season, Moreira says his experience in Pocatello has been one he will never forget.
“It has been good,” he said. “I have learned a lot and improved a lot in basketball and in school. I have made good friends and it has been something I will remember for the rest of my life.”