The FlaBasquete U-20 team finished its participation in the first phase of the Basketball Development League last Thursday (20). With a very positive result, the Rubro-Negro totaled eight wins in ten games, including the stages in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba. The completely favorable performance guaranteed the qualification of the Crias da Gávea for the final phase, which will be held in November, in São Paulo. 

To highlight the good result of the Crias da Gávea, the Official Website of Mais Querido brings some numbers of the Flamengo players during the dispute of the two stages of the LDB 2018.

Baskets

Throughout the first phase, Flamengo alternated top scorers. Overall, four players finished with double-digit scoring averages. Matheusinho was Flamengo's leading scorer, averaging 15 points per game. Showing the strength of the red-black formation, Camargo also had a great performance, crowned with an average of 11,70 points.

Rounding out the list of top players in this attribute are two great pivots from Mengão's youth academy: João Vitor and Ruan. With experience already gained from his time with the senior squad, João played a key role for Flamengo, averaging 11,80 points per game. Younger but highly effective, Ruan made a name for himself at the start of the tournament, averaging 11,30 points per game. 

Assists

Once again, the Crias da Gávea's point guard duo excelled in one attribute. Providing the squad with good rotation and serving their teammates well throughout the match, Matheusinho and Camargo were crucial in the final passes, as well as scoring. Averaging 5,20 and 3,50 per game, respectively, the players alternated between the No. 1 and No. 2 positions and were essential to Flamengo's strong performance in every victory. 

rebounds

João Vitor dominated the paint throughout the tournament. The center, one of the most experienced players on the roster, helped secure FlaBasquete's spot in the finals with an average of 10 rebounds per game. Rounding out the list of the Mais Querido's top rebounders in the competition were Ruan, with an average of 6,80 RT, and Thiago Sorriso, with 4,80 RT. Point guard Matheusinho also excelled in this fundamental, averaging 4,90 RT, a great stat for a player in the starting position. 

Overall team performance

Rounding out the analysis, the Crias da Gávea secured qualification with excellent victories against traditional and competent teams. With an overall success rate of 80%, the Rubro-Negro remains the leading attacker, with 728 total points.

Ten games - Eight victories

Flamengo 72x59 Pinheiros 

Flamengo 64x67 Paulistano

Flamengo 68x59 Minas

Flamengo 65x57 Palmeiras

Flamengo 77x59 Corinthians Union

Flamengo 84x58 San Jose 

Flamengo 74x77 Maringá 

Flamengo 69x56 Franca

Flamengo 87x56 Curitiba Basketball

Flamengo 68x57 Beach Club

With an exceptional interdisciplinary effort and the strength of the entire team, Flamengo's result highlights the excellent work being done in the Mais Querido's youth basketball teams. With the synergy between the team and the entire coaching staff, the result could not have been more different, placing Flamengo among the top clubs in the country's largest youth tournament. Team coach Paulo Chupeta praised the performance of all the professionals involved in Flamengo's LDB campaign.

"My assessment is extremely positive. We started the season feeling discredited, a team nobody knew, and Flamengo's record hadn't been good over the last three years. We started working hard. This team worked for twenty days straight, mainly on defense and some offensive details we worked on together, taught by Gustavinho in the adult team. These kids are always ready to fill in when someone is missing in the adult team. I have to praise the work of the CUIDAR team; they managed to get these kids through this marathon. Ten games in eleven days, with travel, stress, away from home, different food, different weather. I just have to congratulate these kids, the entire staff, and also the Flamengo management who believed in me and invited me to manage this team. I came with great pleasure," concluded the coach. 

The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo receive funding from their sponsors – Thinkseg, TIM, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, and EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and the State Incentive Law/Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Sports, Leisure, and Youth (Seelje), in addition to support from the Brazilian Club Committee (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources from the Pelé Law. The Anjo da Guarda Rubro-Negro Project, a personal tax transfer, benefits all Olympic sports of the Most Beloved Club.