The pivot, who is against Chinese Taipei, analyzed the victory on the second day and tomorrow’s duel – at 12.30 – against Hungary is palpable: “We are going to go with the knife between our teeth and leave everything,” he said.
The victory against Chinese Taipei this Sunday was the first joy for this U19 team that is playing the World Cup. In the second match of Group B and after the debut with defeat against Russia, the girls led by Sebastián Silva gave a show of character and carried out an enormous game against the Asian team (65-56). Today will be a free day for the tournament, but from this Tuesday the action will continue with Argentina closing its group against the host team (12.30pm from our country, against Hungary on the official FIBA YouTube).
The name of Georgina Buzzetti was the one that was repeated the most by the voice of the Hodon Imre stadium in Debrecen. It is that the pivot left its stamp on the game and in the statistics, with that amazing double double (16 points and 16 rebounds) to be the great axis of the Argentine triumph. What a performance for the 18-year-old player, who after the enormous victory, and in dialogue with Prensa CAB, did not hide all that emotion that floods our National Team. And he has reasons, since behind this success against Asians there is a background scenario in which all the effort and commitment of this group of girls who worked hard and did things well to be living this World Cup.
-That first triumph came and you can see the joy it generates. How are they and what are the things that come to mind now?
-The first thing I can tell you is that we are very happy about what we are experiencing. The happiness we handle is tremendous. Winning a group stage game is one of the things we wanted to happen. This makes us super happy and increases our confidence and security a lot, both individually and as a team.
-There is much behind this, many concentrations and hours of work, the effort to take care of yourself and get to this moment. With the connotation and prestige of a tournament like this, the importance that it already means to arrive and be part of a World Cup.
-Yes, everything that happened was tremendous. More considering what you were saying, because a year ago we started training in the middle of the pandemic and I think that already, from the moment we arrived in Hungary, it meant a lot to us, for all the things we went through and had to go through. throughout that year of preparation. The truth is that getting here, just being here in Hungary playing this World Cup for which we work so hard, is the most beautiful thing that could have happened to us. Today we are living it in our own flesh and we cannot believe it. They are beautiful sensations, most of them and I include myself, we have not yet fallen, but we are giving everything to be able to go as far as possible and get the best position in the tournament. All this that we are experiencing is very nice, and after so many things have happened, arriving here and playing as we did yesterday, it leaves us with a beautiful feeling.
-The team looked firm, with things to continue improving for sure but with the conviction that was needed to pass a test like this. And you, personally, you let go. What did you see and how did you take more and more ground in the game?
-The truth is that I felt very confident, I think I could have that security that I needed. As it was the second game, the nerves weren’t there so much and there wasn’t that pressure to start playing either. The team came out as our image is: to give everything, to throw ourselves at each ball, to defend, to go out and face everything. We played a great game, we all had that confidence we needed. Personally, I felt very good, I saw that it was a match in which the majors themselves could have a little more prominence because China Taipei was a fairly low team compared to what the other World Cup teams are. I felt safe under the rim and I tried to leave everything like everyone else, listening to clarifications and corrections from Seba (Silva, DT).
-If there is something that marked this group, because of the work time and that they have been together, it is that union as a team and it is something that most of the girls always highlight. Today ends up being a main characteristic of this team. Do you feel that they are overturning all that today on the court from the attitude and going to the ground on each ball?
-Undoubtedly we have a very nice union and that is reflected in our way of playing and in what we leave on the court. As you know, we have been training for a year and most of us knew each other before, and it also seems to me that it is one of the virtues that this team has. This long time of preparation did us very well as a group. The 30 that we started we were already part of a very nice group, but later, being 16, those last three cuts that were made saving Marti’s (Torres, who suffered an injury two weeks before the tournament), were very tough outings for each one of us. We had been 16 for a long time, so we already felt as if we were 12 precisely because of this beautiful union that the group has, and that is why the cuts hit us very hard, especially with Martu. They hurt, but we knew that we had to continue and that all that year of so much work had to do something.
-What are they here for?
-We came here to fight anyone, whoever comes, we are going to do the best we can. This is a beautiful group both on and off the court, you always have someone to talk to, who to lean on, we know each other so much that we are literally almost like family. We have a very good union and that on the court adds a lot of points. This team goes to war in peace because we are going to fight everyone.
-What can you tell me about Hungary? While the Chinese Taipei thing is still a bit fresh, you will have already seen something of the next rival. Good size, European style.
-Yes, this afternoon we are going to have a video to see a little of them. They are a tall team, with a physical build a little bigger than us, and it is also the local team, something that adds points to them. But I think we can make a good game for them. We really want to continue on this path. Winning a game like yesterday’s changes our minds, and that makes us go for everything now against Hungary. We are going to give everything as in every game. We are not going to have respect for it because it is the local or because it is a tall and European team, we are going to go with the knife between our teeth and leave everything behind. I have a lot of faith in each other, we know that the coaching staff trusts us and we trust a lot too.
Photographs: FIBA
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