Flamengo signs three new signings for its Under-19 Basketball team
Young standouts from the São Paulo youth academy arrive to strengthen the Crias da Gávea
By Communication - Flamengo - inFlamengo's basketball base will be strengthened for the 2019/2020 season. Seeking to further strengthen the team and compete for all the titles it competes for, Flamengo has signed three players from the São Paulo basketball team.
Having played for Corinthians, Pinheiros, and Baskonia in Spain, versatile power forward Rafael Rachel, 18 years old and 2,05'8,9", is one of the new faces of the Mais Querido. Rachel played for Palmeiras last season and averaged 8,2 points and XNUMX rebounds in the most recent edition of the LDB. In his first words as a Rubro-Negro player, Rafael expressed gratitude for the opportunity to defend the Sacred Mantle.
"I can only thank God and Flamengo for giving me the opportunity to represent this great team. I'm really looking forward to starting training and finding my place. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, I just want my place and be able to help by giving my all. I have no words to describe how happy I am right now. I've always wanted to wear the red-and-black jersey, and I'm willing to give my best every day, learn as much as possible from everyone, and honor the Sacred Mantle. I'm very grateful to Flamengo for the opportunity," the power forward said.
From Paulistano to Mengão, Matheus Weber is another new face for the Crias da Gávea team. The 18-year-old, 1,95'7,7" wing averaged 3,4 points, 2,5 rebounds, and 2018 assists during the team's 16 Basketball Development League runner-up campaign. Matheus stood out in the youth ranks while playing for the Cravinhos team, where he was named the best player in the Under-XNUMX São Paulo State Championship. Upon joining the Mais Querido team, Weber couldn't hide his joy.
"I'm really looking forward to this year. Flamengo is a club with a lot of tradition in the sport, and I'm very happy to be part of this team. I hope to improve a lot and be able to contribute as much as possible so we can come away with as many titles as possible," said the athlete.
Rounding out the trio of reinforcements, winger João Vittor de Souza will also wear the Manto Sagrado in 2019. The 17-year-old, 1,89m tall player has been playing for Sesi Franca Basquete and has already begun his career participating in training with the adult team, led by coach Gustavo de Conti.
"I have high expectations for this year, for all the championships. It's been a great opportunity to train with the senior team, to share the court with players like Marquinhos and Varejão. I'm very happy to wear the Flamengo jersey, as it's always been a dream for me and my family," concluded João Vittor.
The arrival of the athletes is part of the process of reformulating the red-black base, which aims to build teams that will fight for the titles of all the tournaments played this season.
The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo rely on resources from their sponsors – thinkseg, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and the State Incentive Law/State Secretariat of Sports, Leisure and Youth (Seelje) of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to support from the Brazilian Committee of Clubs (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources originating from the Pelé Law.