Jece Leite on Corinthians exit in Paulista, eyes Sul-Americana | OneFootball

Corinthians ended their participation in the Paulista Basketball Championship after being beaten by Mogi in the semifinals. Last Friday (25), at Ginásio Wlamir Marques, Timão lost 70-68 and suffered their third defeat in the series. After the elimination, head coach Jece Leite took stock of the campaign, addressed the physical toll on the squad, commented on the financial issues behind the scenes, and looked ahead to the South American League.

Despite the frustration of the result in front of the home crowd, Jece felt the team’s performance in the state tournament left positive signs for the rest of the season. The coach also mentioned the group’s progress even while dealing with absences caused by physical problems.

Photo: Beto Miller/Agência Corinthians

“The feeling is bitter, but there are many more positive points to highlight. The final result and the way the elimination happened are hard to swallow, but the group’s development is clear. We’re heading into the next competitions on our calendar on the rise, even with some absences due to injury,” he began in the mixed zone.

The Corinthians coach also praised the players’ attitude during the semifinal series. For Jece, the squad managed to stay focused despite the difficulties and tried to extend the matchup to a fourth game.

“I think their minds are very steady and focused, understanding that this year is different from last year and that we need to keep this energy, like we showed in the two home games. Home-court advantage helps a lot, even though our team is experienced and also knows how to play away from home. But the secret is knowing how to overcome adversity. Sometimes we know all the dangers on the court, but it’s hard to overcome them when your mind keeps repeating that it’s very difficult. But for them there was none of that ‘difficult’ story: they kept pushing the whole time and, unfortunately, we couldn’t force Game 4,” he added.

Busy schedule demands physical attention

In addition to his analysis of the elimination, Jece Leite spoke about the format of the Paulista Championship. The coach highlighted the short interval between playoff games and the need to quickly prepare the team for each new commitment.

“It’s a much shorter-format competition (the Paulista). Together with the Federation, we were able to put together this Paulista Championship model in an even shorter way than previous ones. But it became a short sprint: the playoffs arrive, it’s game every other day, and you have to rebuild. Then you get one day to breathe,” he pointed out.

Physical concerns become even more important considering Corinthians’ next challenge. In the South American League, the team will have three games on consecutive days during the first phase. For that reason, the coaching staff plans to use the period until the debut to recover players who are dealing with physical issues.

Jece specifically mentioned Betinho, who suffered the squad’s most recent injury, when speaking about preparation for the continental tournament.

“In the South American League it’s even worse, because it’s three straight days. You don’t have a recovery day. So the idea is to do everything possible — and we’re already doing that — to recover those who need physical reinforcement and the injuries that have come up, especially Betinho’s now, which was the latest one, so we can get him back and have everyone in the best physical condition,” said the coach.

Even with the demands of the schedule, the coach showed confidence in the group’s experience and knowledge of the system ahead of the competition.

“I’ll say it again: we have an experienced team, a very mature team that already understands the system of play. But we need to be fully fit in order to execute it and do our best. I truly believe we’ll arrive at the South American League ready to compete,” Jece assured.

Jece analyzes squad overhaul

Corinthians went through changes in the squad for the current season. With a reduced budget for the sport, the club lost players who had been part of the rotation during last NBB campaign and signed three players: Matheus Leal, Betinho, and Gemadinha.

When analyzing the newcomers’ adaptation, Jece pointed out that prior familiarity with some of the players made it easier to maintain the model used by the coaching staff.

“We kept the same style of play. Leal has worked with me before: he was on my youth team and later, when I was an assistant, he was also part of the group. It’s work based on a very similar philosophy. Gemadinha also already knows this approach. Betinho was the one furthest from it, because I coached him when he was very young and then we spent a long time without working together on the same team,” he explained.

The coach also stressed the experience of the new players and the importance of keeping a core from the previous squad to speed up adjustments on the court.

“But he (Betinho) is a very intelligent and experienced player. Gemadinha himself, even though he’s a bit younger, also has a lot of experience. That adds a lot and makes the process easier. With the core that stayed here, their adaptation, the fit on the court, and understanding our playing philosophy became much easier,” he added.

Delays also factor into Jece’s assessment

In addition to sporting matters, Jece Leite commented on the financial situation facing the basketball department. According to information published by Meu Timão, players and members of the coaching staff dealt with delays related to image rights payments, although part of the outstanding amounts has been settled by the club.

In the coach’s view, more experienced players may feel the effects of these situations differently because of the responsibilities they carry off the court.

“That’s the thing: we have a mature team and, sometimes, the more experienced ones end up seeing more problems in these situations precisely because they carry more responsibility. Not that the younger ones don’t, but sometimes the kids are playing in two age groups, living that excitement of being part of the main squad, and certain things go unnoticed,” he noted.

Jece acknowledged that the difficulties do end up affecting the squad at certain moments, even with the effort to keep the group focused exclusively on sporting commitments.

“We have an experienced team that is capable of dealing with pressure, but there comes a moment when it affects you. It affects everyone. We keep emphasizing that the group is solid, concentrated, and focused, but at some point it weighs on you,” he admitted.

Even so, the coach was careful to separate the off-court situation from the result achieved on the court. Jece explained that the staff tries to understand each player’s individual moment and help the squad during this unstable period.

“And that’s not an excuse for the result, it’s the reality of everyday life. Sometimes there comes a day when you look at an athlete, understand what he’s going through, and realize you can’t demand the same from him. I can imagine what they’re going through. I don’t know exactly the weight each one is carrying, because I also have my own issues, but we take care to try to shield the group or at least help them get through this phase, because we’re all going through this together,” he concluded.

Corinthians now turn their attention to the South American League

With their participation in the state championship over, Corinthians will have a few days without games before beginning their South American Basketball League campaign. The period will be used mainly to physically recover the squad and prepare the team for the run of three games in three days.

The black-and-white side will make its debut on Friday, October 9, at 10:10 p.m., against Jorge Guzmán of Ecuador at the Coliseo Ciudad de Loja. Timão are in Group B of the competition and will also face Nacional of Uruguay and Regatas Corrientes of Argentina in the first phase.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.