Marcelinho is Flamengo's member of the Brazilian basketball team
The red-black captain competes in the SuperFour in preparation for the World Cup in Turkey in Brasilia.
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Under the command of Argentine Ruben Magnano, the Brazilian Men's Basketball Team has already begun its preparations for the World Cup, which will take place at the end of August in Turkey. Having been together and training in Rio de Janeiro for almost a month, the team is in Brasília to compete in a SuperFour against Angola, Chile and Venezuela, the opponent in the opening match this Saturday (07.08), at 12, at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium.
Among those called up by Magnano, besides NBA players like Nenê, Varejão, Tiago Splitter, and Leandrinho, is a Flamengo star: Marcelinho Machado. Flamengo's captain and top scorer in recent seasons is the most experienced player on this team, which won the Copa América last year.
Excited, Marcelinho believes the national team can do well in the World Cup, despite facing the United States in the first round. Brazil also plays Iran, Tunisia, Slovenia, and Croatia. But even while focused on the matches in Turkey, the winger can't stop thinking about his club, Flamengo. In an exclusive interview with the official website, the player discussed his expectations for the Novo Basquete Brasil 2011 tournament and the signings of Baby and Lamonte.
Check out the full chat below:
Selection:
- Analysis of the current group: It's a unique group. If we analyze it, it's practically the same group that was there in 2007, and many of those who were there during that poor 2006 campaign (World Cup in Japan), but what's different is the commitment, the maturity, and the desire to win. The failure of some previous campaigns has served as a lesson learned and given us even more motivation for this World Cup. The coach deserves great credit in this regard. He's been working very well and showing us the way forward.
- Summary of training so far: It's been three very productive weeks of training. I feel the group is progressing very well, making significant progress. We're on the right track to have a great World Cup.
- SuperFour of Brasilia: We're training hard, but we'll only acquire game rhythm through friendly matches like these. The planning was very well done; we're facing teams that aren't at World Cup level, but this helps us improve our team. Gradually, we'll face Puerto Rico, China, Spain, Argentina, and others, and we'll reach the World Cup with a good rhythm, which is our main objective.
Flamengo:
- Reinforcements: The Brazilian National Championship (NBB) has strengthened, and we're not far behind. Limeira, Pinheiros, Brasília, Uberlândia, and others have put together good teams. There's no denying it, the group was already strong and also had some good reinforcements. We remain favorites, but we have to prove it on the court. We already have a squad; now we need to build a good group, and I'm sure that won't be a problem; after all, we want to continue bringing joy to the red-and-blacks. We need to bring Baby back and fit Lamonte into the lineup. They're excellent players and will be a huge help to us. Flamengo has a lot to gain from them.
- Titles: Fans can expect the same thing as always: titles. This is a team that will fight until the last second for victories. There's still the issue of the Liga de las Américas (Liga of the Americas) that won't leave our minds. We'll look at it more fondly. It's the only tournament we haven't won yet, but with hard work and the help of these two stars (Baby and Lamonte), we'll be able to bring it to the fans who always support us.
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Among those called up by Magnano, besides NBA players like Nenê, Varejão, Tiago Splitter, and Leandrinho, is a Flamengo star: Marcelinho Machado. Flamengo's captain and top scorer in recent seasons is the most experienced player on this team, which won the Copa América last year.
Excited, Marcelinho believes the national team can do well in the World Cup, despite facing the United States in the first round. Brazil also plays Iran, Tunisia, Slovenia, and Croatia. But even while focused on the matches in Turkey, the winger can't stop thinking about his club, Flamengo. In an exclusive interview with the official website, the player discussed his expectations for the Novo Basquete Brasil 2011 tournament and the signings of Baby and Lamonte.
Check out the full chat below:
Selection:
- Analysis of the current group: It's a unique group. If we analyze it, it's practically the same group that was there in 2007, and many of those who were there during that poor 2006 campaign (World Cup in Japan), but what's different is the commitment, the maturity, and the desire to win. The failure of some previous campaigns has served as a lesson learned and given us even more motivation for this World Cup. The coach deserves great credit in this regard. He's been working very well and showing us the way forward.
- Summary of training so far: It's been three very productive weeks of training. I feel the group is progressing very well, making significant progress. We're on the right track to have a great World Cup.
- SuperFour of Brasilia: We're training hard, but we'll only acquire game rhythm through friendly matches like these. The planning was very well done; we're facing teams that aren't at World Cup level, but this helps us improve our team. Gradually, we'll face Puerto Rico, China, Spain, Argentina, and others, and we'll reach the World Cup with a good rhythm, which is our main objective.
Flamengo:
- Reinforcements: The Brazilian National Championship (NBB) has strengthened, and we're not far behind. Limeira, Pinheiros, Brasília, Uberlândia, and others have put together good teams. There's no denying it, the group was already strong and also had some good reinforcements. We remain favorites, but we have to prove it on the court. We already have a squad; now we need to build a good group, and I'm sure that won't be a problem; after all, we want to continue bringing joy to the red-and-blacks. We need to bring Baby back and fit Lamonte into the lineup. They're excellent players and will be a huge help to us. Flamengo has a lot to gain from them.
- Titles: Fans can expect the same thing as always: titles. This is a team that will fight until the last second for victories. There's still the issue of the Liga de las Américas (Liga of the Americas) that won't leave our minds. We'll look at it more fondly. It's the only tournament we haven't won yet, but with hard work and the help of these two stars (Baby and Lamonte), we'll be able to bring it to the fans who always support us.
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