Jece Leite highlights Corinthians' maturity, explains NBB strategy | OneFootball

Corinthians advanced to the quarterfinals of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) after defeating Unifacisa 81-71 last Wednesday (29) at Ginásio Wlamir Marques and closing out the series 3-1. After the game, head coach Jece Leite analyzed the team’s performance and pointed to the squad’s maturity as the determining factor in securing qualification.

“We already knew Unifacisa was a very well-structured team, and the position they ended up in was due to a season full of difficulties. But since last year we also qualified with difficulty, we knew they were going to fight until the very end,” the coach began.

Photo: Beto Miller / Ag.Corinthians

“I think the maturity we had, looking at what we had built during the season, and their great mindset and focus, allowed us to manage the series well, take care of business at home in a very tricky game, and we showed resilience to go there for game three and get the win,” he added.

In the series, Timão won the first game 88-78, lost the second 79-69, regained the lead with a 76-73 victory, and sealed qualification by winning the fourth matchup 81-71.

The coach also highlighted the club’s internal work to keep the squad focused, especially amid off-court issues involving the sport.

“Our department, at Corinthians, is blessed. We have management there, with Pedrão, Montanha and everyone else, who protect us and work through the Medical Department to recover the players, but they really try to shield us. And that was already said to them from the beginning, when all that news fallout happened: ‘Stay focused, live one day at a time.’ And that’s what you are doing, fighting for Corinthians until the very end. And that end, God willing, is still far away,” he concluded.

With qualification secured, Corinthians will face KTO Minas in the NBB quarterfinals. The detailed schedule for the next round has yet to be announced.

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