Gustavo De Conti remains in charge of FlaBasquete until 2021
NBB, state and Super 8 Cup champion, coach wants even more titles with Rubro-Negro
By Helena Petry - inHe's staying to reclaim the Americas! After two successful years at the helm of FlaBasquete, Gustavo De Conti has renewed his contract with the "Mais Querido" (Most Beloved) and will continue to lead the Pride of the Nation for another season. Among the challenges awaiting the red-and-blacks are the Champions League final and the next edition of the competition, for which the team has already secured its ticket, as well as the NBB.
"I'm very happy to have renewed my contract with Flamengo. It's a club where I've felt at home since the first day I stepped foot in Gávea. They share a mindset very similar to mine, which is to always compete for titles and strive for the top spots," said the coach. "Flamengo is currently the most important basketball club in South America, so it wasn't difficult. For me, it's an honor that the board wants me to stay. I think it's a job well done, given the titles we've won."
Gustavinho arrived at Mais Querido in June 2018 and, in his first year, won the NBB, the State Championship and the Super 8 Cup. Last season, he led the team to another Carioca title and the Super 8 runner-up spot. Under his command, FlaBasquete also reached the final of the Champions League of the Americas, considered the sport's Libertadores, undefeated, and finished the NBB in first place.
Both competitions were ended prematurely due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, with the national competition ending without a champion. The Champions League final was postponed until the second half of the year, and Gustavo still dreams of winning.
"I'm left wanting more. The fact that I didn't finish the year was a factor in my renewal because I came here to win titles," Gustavinho commented. "Expectations are the highest possible. I hope we maintain the level we had last season of being a competitive team and can fight for the top spots."
Assistant coach Fernando Pereira, physical trainer Bruno Nicolaci, and physiotherapist Ricardo Machado also remain on the club's coaching staff. Point guard Pedro Nunes, signed to a two-year contract, begins his second season with the Manto Sagrado.
The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo rely on resources from their sponsors – BRB, TIM, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and State Incentive Law/State Secretariat of Sports, Leisure and Youth (Seelje) of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to support from the Brazilian Club Committee (CBC).