The first date of the modified Argentine Basketball League was played with three wins and one loss for the only Uruguayan team, Asociación Pro Recuperación del Inválido (APRI). claw He spoke with Miguel Acosta, team coach, and Richard Holmo, captain, about sporting performance and projections on the regional and international arenas.

They recently had to train at Plaza 4 because the roof of the stadium where they usually train was under renovation, which affected their preparation.

“It was three or four exercises, but all the good work we did for the South American Championships [con la selección uruguaya] From the end of last year reflected in this date, “the value of Huelmo.

Along the same lines, the coach expressed that due to the lack of training and the worn out team travel – eight out of the 13 that make up the team – for various reasons, “we went with low expectations and were surprised by the amount of good play we developed”. Acosta asserted that in the past South America they had higher goals which they did not reach; However, he highlighted his positive present: “I think we stayed with this rule and now we play more easily. Far from the fact that it is the first stage of the Argentine championship and that qualifying for the second is a fact, it is working to start setting ourselves up and measuring ourselves against strong competitors who are fighting For a title like us.”

the match

The Argentine league is contested between 12 teams divided by region, according to geographic criteria that reduce transportation costs. APRI integrates the Santa Fe and Rosario region with the Santa Fe Center for Free Integration and Solidarity of Argentina (Cilsa) teams and the Rosarino Club of Cripples (CROL).

In the first stage, teams from each region face each other on two dates – one playing in April and the other in May. After this first double stage, the ten teams will qualify based on a table assessing their four best results and will form two groups of five.

With this benchmark, you can see huge scores against teams with a lower hierarchy and that coaches decide not to send some players to rest in games that are considered available. “We beat CROL 118-2 for the simple fact of trying to be on top of the table and go into a pentagon with a close and viable area,” Acosta explained.

These two quintiles will be organized into the top two positions in the general table according to the results, and from each of these quintiles, the first two go to the last four in December.

“If you don’t have an area so close, it becomes really pointless to be able to take a minibus, as we already had to go to Chubut, which is a 40-hour journey. We are trying to be more competitive and we have a chance to continue with The best possible team.”

game after game

Uruguay had to play four games in less than 24 hours, and for Acosta “that was clearly insane, even more so with eight players, they weren’t in good physical shape because he wasn’t there either before the start of the season; like that and everything.” We were able to move forward with it.”

In the first game against CROL, “When we got to 100 points, the veterans said, like us, ‘We’ve already made history, and now we have to keep playing, respecting the opponent and without losing sight of the fact that we remember the captain.

The coach confirmed that “When we planned this first double date, we knew our four best results would be against CROL, so we killed ourselves in those matches, and in front of Santa Fe we see what happens, because he is a contender for the title.”

Hours later they played the first game against Celsa Santa Fe, “Another match we knew was going to be very difficult because we saw them play tomorrow, they rested, they have players from the Argentine national team and a very good team.” Huelmo recalled, adding: “We knew we couldn’t leave The match for a second, and when that happened, Miguel knew how to lead us right away.”

“It was a great match, people who were outside said APRI was not going to lose it because of the way we scored,” said the captain. For him, all the work they did was reflected in that match in which they won by 6 points, and in the last match in which they also defeated Celsa by 6 points.

“I think he played against us because we were nervous, rushed and lost focus in the last match. Thinking about it coldly with some references, it seems to us that the defeat was good, because we won the other three matches and thanks to that we are first, but we have to keep working”, he affirmed Captain, and judged him: “And losing sometimes makes you good.”

Both confirmed that this date was significant for the three players who have made up the team since their participation in calendarthey were able to play matches against CROL and generate experience that prepares them for a higher level match in the future.

In the second match against Celsa, “they put all the meat on the rotisserie, and although we lost, they weren’t happy because they couldn’t make the most with everything they had for them. We had eight players, counting the three starters who didn’t participate in the That match, while there were 15 of them and they all played,” explained Holmo.

For his part, Acosta appreciates what he has achieved and plans for more: “I think in that last match we lost by 6, the fatigue was a bit noticeable. Now with peace of mind we are better preparing for the next date, which is played in May, with the aim of winning matches against Celsa Santa in also”.

Based on the results obtained, APRI tops the table in its area, although they realize that their best results are counted and there are still four matches to play.

For the second stage, some other players will be able to travel: “On this date we went with a very short team; for example, I had no change and I had a fever due to an injury that made it more difficult for me, but if I didn’t go I wouldn’t Some of my teammates are able to play because of the result. After you enter the field, you will already forget everything,” Huelmo justified.

It was very difficult matches, one after another, but a new panorama could frame the pentathlon stage, according to the captain: “For the second stage we have more colleagues, more changes, and it will be planned differently. We have Martin Faris, coming from Spain, playing in the Spanish League and joins us.”

European influence

The European Basketball Championships are played from fall to European Spring and, depending on the division, usually end between April and June. In that period of time between the end of one tournament and the start of another, players can go back to their countries, and many Argentines play the Argentine League for those two or three months. Currently in the Argentine teams there are 12 players in the best teams in Europe.

For Acosta, this difference in the teams of competitors is an aspect that must be taken into account, which is why he has developed some mechanisms Scouts To get updated information and plan tournaments in the best possible way. He explained, “You deal with the list in good faith, which is owned by all the teams in the league, and you know that some coming from European teams can participate in a tournament and others cannot.”

“When the Pentagon is implemented, it is certain that some Argentine teams will be able to reinforce themselves with Argentine players playing in Europe, and this obviously also leads you to analyze the fives that you want to go into to avoid teams that could be reinforced,” Acosta predicted. He stated, “For us, it will be very important to reach the last four In December because we know that on that date there is no one. In other words, we are just creoles. So the goal is more achievable.”

“In Uruguay, only one player plays in Europe, third, but this is important because in addition to his involvement with APRI, he opened the doors and issued an invitation for us to travel to Catalonia to play a cup in September,” said the coach.

In this regard, Huelmo hopes that this competition will become a reality for several reasons: “We are already looking at the competitors, we know that it is a show that we all want to show ourselves in. The first thing is to win, but we know they will be watching us and it can open up a good opportunity for us.”

Upcoming competitions

Both Huelmo and Acosta are members of Uruguay’s modified basketball team, as well as most of the APRI team. For this reason, participation at the national team level is of great importance.

“Since we participated in the Andean Cup, which is a qualifier for the Copa América, we have always been champions, and we think the time has come to do it here in Uruguay,” said Holmo.

It is not yet known when it will be played, but they are firm in their convictions. They explained that the strongest competitors will be Chile, Peru and Venezuela, because Argentina and Brazil do not participate because they are already ranked.

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