The Argentine U18 preselection began training to compete in the AmeriCup of the category, which will be played from June 3 to 9 at the Obras stadium in Buenos Aires. With coach Mauro Polla at the helm, the national team began practices for the competition that will grant four places for next year’s U19 World Cup.
The team needs to integrate some players, including two from Cordoba, Ivan Prato and Thiago Sucatzkybut with the presence of the Chaco native who performs at the Matienzo club in Villa Cabrera, Jorge Diaz Gimenezand from the Rio Cuartense Bruno Farías.
“We are starting progressively with the arrival of the boys, not all of them are there yet, but growing every day and taking what we worked on in the past process as a starting point,” explained Mauro Polla, coach of the team that won gold in the South American U17 from last year with this same group.
The original roster has 16 players, including 11 of the 12 South American champions, seven players who play abroad and three who give a year of advantage.
“We found them mainly with a great desire to be part and putting that desire into every practice. There are some new kids and in a few days they managed to adapt well to the dynamics of the group and the practices,” Polla added.
Regarding the goals for these first days of work, the coach assured: “The priority is to establish the game pattern to be played and try to optimize its execution.”
Argentina will be part of Group B along with the United States, Belize and Brazil. After a three-game group stage, all teams will qualify for the quarterfinals where the elimination phase will begin and the ticket to the U19 World Cup will be defined.
“We will try to capture on the field something similar to what was in Colombia, with the degree of difficulty that it proposes to face high-level rivals. We will be an intense team, with offensive situations spread across several players and positions,” the coach concluded.
The Argentine preselection list
- Viktor Bender | 2006 | Current Regattas
- Patricio Cogliati | 2006 | Quimsa
- Albano Costa | 2006 | July 9 of Bahía Blanca
- Fabricio Diaz | 2006 | Stream of La Rioja
- Jorge Díaz Giménez | 2006 | Benjamin Matienzo
- Octavio Donzino | 2006 | Mouth
- Alonso Easterling | 2006 | Peninsula Catholic High School (United States)
- Bruno Farías | 2006 | Derthona Basketball (Italy)
- Tomás Fernández Lang | 2006 | Derthona Basketball (Italy)
- Joaquín Folmer Gassmann | 2006 | San Martin de Corrientes
- Tyler Kropp | 2007 | All Ohio REd EYBL (United States)
- Felipe Minzer | 2007 | Casademont Zaragoza (Spain)
- Nicholas Petri | 2006 | Sanitary Works
- Matías Pikaluk | 2006 | Quimsa
- Ivan Prato | 2007 | Pallacanestro Varese (Italy)
- Thiago Sucatzky | 2006 | Divine Savior Academy (United States)
