Flabasquete finished the NBB9 qualifying round in first place. This result secured a spot in the quarterfinals, allowing them to play a period without games while they await their opponent, who will emerge from the Round of XNUMX clash between Pinheiros and Vasco. Furthermore, the Rubro-Negro still holds the home court advantage throughout the playoff series until a possible final. Exclusively for the Mais Querido Official Website, Flamengo coach José Neto discussed the qualifying round statistics, the roster, the training period without games, and the ultimate goal of his fifth year leading the most successful team in Novo Basquete Brasil.

 

José Neto: We know this is only a fraction of the work we've done, but it's an achievement we can't ignore. After all, considering the championship's increasing competitiveness each year, and our team's constant roster changes, achieving this feat of finishing top of the standings for four out of five consecutive years adds credibility to the work we're doing. We've managed to form a working group of highly competent professionals in their fields, but above all, with a strong sense of knowing how to leverage their expertise, adding value and quality to each other's work. I have no doubt that this is a fundamental factor in everything we've achieved to date. However, what we want lies ahead. We're focused on our goal and will continue working toward it.

 

JN: These are truly impressive numbers. Numbers hard to find in any other competition around the world. Numbers that fill us with motivation to keep moving forward. We've acquired a habit of always looking ahead, because what we seek is ahead, not behind. Therefore, it is these achievements that we acquire that give credibility to our work and better conditions to pursue our ultimate goals each season.

 

JN: I believe there's always room for improvement. We had a surprising qualifying campaign, but we know we need to keep improving. Due to several factors at the beginning of the season, mainly the loss of a major sponsor, we had to overhaul the squad. We couldn't forget that other sponsors continued to believe and deserve all our respect and commitment. I've learned throughout my life that in difficulty, there's also an opportunity. I try to apply this concept to my daily work. Ultimately, we had to practice an idea I try to instill in the team: focusing on the solution, not the problem. We worked to ensure that even these younger players (many of whom were making their debuts on a senior team) had the ability to help the team meet the high expectations that Flamengo has. My teammates at the training center practice this very well! The players understood the need to give a little more than usual to achieve excellence. Ultimately, this "mechanism" working is what has enabled us to achieve the results we've achieved so far.

 

JN: If we only analyze the numbers, we're satisfied with some things and frustrated with others. The goal right now is to be aware of what these numbers represent because we're in the middle of a process, not the end. Therefore, there's no point in expressing any conclusions right now. What I mean is that we need to continue improving what we're doing well (our offense, efficiency, assists, rebounds) and improve what makes us more vulnerable, like points conceded, for example. The need to evolve must be constant. Our team is used to striving to achieve new goals and thus achieve our proposed objectives.

 

JN: I believe that in a team sport, the collective must prevail. Therefore, we strive to build a squad capable of filling in for absences, even significant ones like those mentioned. For the squad to be capable of this, daily work is essential. The coaching staff must create these conditions. We've managed to build this competent team and instill a positive attitude in the athletes to constantly strive for improvement. 

 

JN: One of the goals we set in our planning is to finish the first stage among the top four teams, precisely so we can use this period to better prepare the team for the decisive moment of the playoffs. Initially, we focus on our own team, improving the aspects we evaluated in this first stage and then working specifically on the potential characteristics of the opponents we might face in the playoffs.