By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Vitor Benite was interviewed by FIBA ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Brazil will square off versus New Zealand, Greece and Montenegro between September 1st and September 5th at Nanjing. “It’s one of the toughest groups of the FIBA Basketball World Cup” he noted on the competition.
The 29-year-old guard furthered on Group G and his national team’s objective in the first round: “It’s going to be a very tough battle during every game, but we have the talent and the experience to go to the next round if we play at our best level.”
“Greece is a very good team, Montenegro has some great players, including Nikola Vucevic, who is an NBA All-Star, and New Zealand plays with a lot of passion on both ends of the floor.” he explained.
“Every game is going to be very important, and we have to start the tournament the best way. We’re all very excited to play on the world stage, and we’re going to compete and fight for every possession to go far into the tournament.” he added.
On Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo: “It’s a very good team that has a lot of experience and talented players. Giannis is one of the best players in the world, but thinking that he’s the only guy to be focused on when playing Greece is a big mistake.”
“They have very good players at every position, guys that can make a difference such as Kostas Papanikolaou and Nick Calathes, for example, and we’ll need to play defense very well and try to make it hard for them to score” Benite went on discussing the Greek national team.
“We want, first and foremost, to go to the next round” he stressed and took out: “The group we got included in for the first round is very tough, and we have to take it one game at a time. We have the talent and the experience to go to the next round, but we have to be in the best shape and mindset from day one.”
“I know we can, I know we will” he pointed out and added: “We are going to play the first round and try to get out of the group with the best record we can. This competition is very long and intense, and many teams can go far in the tournament, so we’re going to focus on the First Round and after the first three games, focus on the next step coming up.”
On emerging Brazilian stars Bruno Caboclo and Didi Louzada: “They are great talents and they want to learn and be better players every day, which is very important for young players,” Benite mentioned. “Bruno had a great season in the NBA with the Grizzlies and he brings a lot of energy and athleticism to the team, and Didi is improving a lot, and he got drafted by an NBA team, which gives him more and more confidence.”
“They are the future of the national team, and they’re eager to help us this summer in order for Brazil to shine at international level. They are hard workers, and they want to show the youth in Brazil that everything is possible” he also said on the pair of Brazilian hopefuls.
In conclusion: “I have been working a lot to get ready for the training camp and I feel great, both physically and mentally, and I have tons of energy to help my teammates” he said on his preparation and went on: “I am excited for the friendly games, for the team to build a great chemistry but also to get prepared for a very intense competition on the other side of the world. We’ve been thinking about the World Cup since we clinched our spot and now it’s right here, around the corner. It’s very exciting.”
Photo Credit: FIBA