AGONA Profile: Brazil, Cariocas hoping to rekindle former glory

As Greece prepares to take on the world at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China, the AGONA Profile takes a closer look at their Group F rivals. Next up, Brazil…

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Brazil head to China with a veteran squad hoping to steer the nation back to its glory days which saw Brazil win back-to-back titles in 1959 and 1963.

Veterans like Anderson Varejao and Leandro Barbosa, household names for fans of the NBA and international basketball, are once again present in the 12-man squad as the Brazilians fancy their chances of progressing out of Group F and into the crossover.

A strong qualifying campaign which saw Brazil clinch a berth in China with a 9-3 record will boost the team’s hopes of a magical run this summer, though perhaps the squad lacks the star power to dethrone with the tournament favourites this summer.

Nickname: Cariocas
Current FIBA Ranking: 12th
Head Coach: Aleksandar Petrovic
FIBA World Cup History: 18th appearance
Best Finish at a FIBA World Cup: 2x Champions (1959, 1963)

HEAD COACH

60-year-old Croatian Aleksandar Petrovic will make his international tournament debut, but the veteran coach has plenty of tournament experience at the international level thanks to his previous stints coaching his native Croatia.

Petrovic replaced Cesar Maximo Guidetti, who was at the helm for Brazil’s disastrous 2017 FIBA AmeriCup campaign that saw the team finish a disappointing 10th in the 12-team field.

Since his installment, Petrovic has helped to restore the pride in playing for the national team, which is best exemplified by the team’s solid qualifying campaign for this summer’s tournament.

Petrovic’s wealth of experience, both as a former player and coach for his native Croatia, will go a long way in preparing his side for the likes of Greece, Montenegro, and New Zealand.

KEY PLAYERS

The aforementioned Varejao was Brazil’s best player during qualifying as he averaged 11.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game to guide Brazil to their 18th straight final tournament.

Although he might not feature as prominently as Varejao, Barbosa is also a key cog in Brazil’s success at both ends of the court with his top-level experience in both the NBA and international competition makes him a true leader on-and-off the court.

In addition to the experienced duo of Varejao and Barbosa, Brazil’s success relies heavily on point guard Marcelinho Huertas. The 36-year-old remains Brazil’s starting point guard and will be a key facilitator of the Brazilian offense as he looks to combine with the likes of Varejao and Memphis Grizzlies forward Bruno Caboclo.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH GREECE

Brazil have crossed paths with Greece at four previous final tournaments, including one meeting at the Summer Olympics in 2006. The two nations also met during a wildcard tournament ahead of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, while the most recent meeting was during a friendly tournament in June 2012. Overall, Greece holds a 4-2 all-time record in their meetings with Brazil.

Despite Greece’s advantage in the head-to-head series, Brazil actually captured the first-ever meeting between the two nations during preliminary round action at the 1986 FIBA World Championship in Spain. The Cariocas cruised to a 115-95 win over the Ethniki in a showdown between the legendary Nick Galis and Oscar Schmidt.

Greece would exact revenge over Brazil four years later at the 1990 FIBA World Championship in Argentina as the Ethniki emerged 103-88 victors in a second round clash between the two nations. Unfortunately for both sides the result did nothing to slowdown the high-flying Yugoslavia and Soviet Union, who both went on to win gold and silver respectively.

The third official meeting between the two nations wouldn’t take place until the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where a group stage meeting between the two sides would see Greece win an 89-87 nail-biter thanks to a 36-point effort from Nikos Oikonomou. Although both sides would progress to the knockout round of that competition, a heavy-defeat in the first knockout round meant neither Greece nor Brazil would leave Atlanta with a medal.

Ten years later, Greece would face Brazil during group play at the 2006 FIBA World Championship with 14-point efforts from both Theodoros Papaloukas and Nikos Hatzivrettas powering Greece to a 91-80 win en route to finishing first in the group with a perfect 5-0 record. That magical summer Greece would stroll into the finals with impressive wins over France and the heavily-favoured United States, before falling at the final hurdle against eventual champion Spain.

Greece continued their dominance over Brazil just two years later at the 2008 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens ahead of the Olympics in Beijing later that summer. Greece cruised a lopsided 89-69 win in the group stage en route to clinching a berth at the final tournament along with fellow European sides Croatia and Germany.

Brazil ended their losing streak against the Ethniki in the most recent meeting between the two sides as the Cariocas notched a 78-71 win in a friendly showdown ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London.

by Peter Katsiris

Image Source: FIBA

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