The titles won in recent seasons and the never-ending drive earned Flamengo's basketball team the nickname "Pride of the Nation" from Flamengo fans. And president Patricia Amorim, who was one of the key figures in putting this team together when she was still vice president of Olympic sports in 2007, also expressed great pride in this group, which, while not winning the 2009-2010 NBB, did win two national titles, one South American title, and three Rio de Janeiro titles during this period.

Patricia heaped praise on the players' commitment in the fifth game of the finals against Brasília. After the game, the president spoke with the players and praised the team's determination throughout the season.

"This is a group of champions. Something rare happened here. The team lost, but everyone looked each other in the eye, shook hands, and left the court certain they did what they could. They are warriors, used to winning, and of course they were sad about the loss, but for me they left as true champions," he said.

And if in 2010 the title remained in Brasília, in 2011 the president guarantees that she will do everything to ensure the trophy returns to Gávea.

"Our sponsors have already said they will continue investing, and we want to maintain the core of this team, which is the epitome of Flamengo, and also strengthen the squad. They've reached their third consecutive final, and we'll be looking for more titles next year," he added.