Rubro-negros win South American basketball championship for Brazil
Under-15 team is undefeated champion with great performance by Flamengo pivot
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
The Brazilian under-15 basketball team won the South American Championship title on Monday (November 03.11). With a perfect record, with five games and five wins, Brazil defeated Argentina 66-55 in the final. In a great match, Flamengo center Kayo Gonçalves stood out in the yellow jersey, helping to win the title. In addition to the red-and-black player, the Mais Querido coach, Igor Meletti, acting as assistant coach, also participated in the Brazilian team's title campaign.
With this great result, the country automatically qualifies for the U-16 Copa América, which will take place in 2015. Once among the top four in the tournament, which will be held next year, Brazil's young basketball team will qualify for the World Championship in 2016.
After the great victory, Igor Meletti explained a bit about the team's success. "We achieved a great result. The Argentines had been on a good run for a long time and, consequently, dominated South American competitions. The title came at a great time. Brazil realized it could improve. From then on, the confederations organized themselves, which is when the NBB (National Basketball Association) and the coaching school were created, and now we're starting to reap the rewards," said Flamengo's youth coach.
In the final, Kayo Gonçalves had an unquestionable performance, playing a key role in the victory. Grabbing several rebounds, the center surprised the Argentines and became one of the players responsible for the victory. "Normally, we have very little time to prepare. In this championship, we had 15 days, a little more than we're used to, and it allowed us to work the team better. We managed to select very intelligent players who know how to position themselves on the court, and Kayo is one of those players. He performed well throughout the championship, but in the final, in particular, our center stood out, completely dominating the paint. You can be sure that this generation will still bring us many benefits," concluded Igor.
With this great result, the country automatically qualifies for the U-16 Copa América, which will take place in 2015. Once among the top four in the tournament, which will be held next year, Brazil's young basketball team will qualify for the World Championship in 2016.
After the great victory, Igor Meletti explained a bit about the team's success. "We achieved a great result. The Argentines had been on a good run for a long time and, consequently, dominated South American competitions. The title came at a great time. Brazil realized it could improve. From then on, the confederations organized themselves, which is when the NBB (National Basketball Association) and the coaching school were created, and now we're starting to reap the rewards," said Flamengo's youth coach.
In the final, Kayo Gonçalves had an unquestionable performance, playing a key role in the victory. Grabbing several rebounds, the center surprised the Argentines and became one of the players responsible for the victory. "Normally, we have very little time to prepare. In this championship, we had 15 days, a little more than we're used to, and it allowed us to work the team better. We managed to select very intelligent players who know how to position themselves on the court, and Kayo is one of those players. He performed well throughout the championship, but in the final, in particular, our center stood out, completely dominating the paint. You can be sure that this generation will still bring us many benefits," concluded Igor.