the right to dream of everything

Basketball is breathed in Sant Antoni. The growth of Class Bàsquet Sant Antoni is a reality. In two years at LEB Plata, the team has established itself as one of the best in the category and from the club they do not hide their ambition to dream of everything. This is reflected by coach Carles Flores, who is clear that they have earned the right to fight to finish the course as East group champions on the track. Of course, always from humility and work.

After an exciting debut in the category last year, this was the confirmation. From the outset there was talk of achieving permanence as soon as possible and avoiding talk of bigger goals. “We have always tried to be as cautious as possible. Especially at the beginning because all the teams reinforce each other and want to grow and enter the playoffs. So you try to be cautious and see where the league puts you, “explains Flores.

In this sense, he continues: «We have always been clear that the main objective was to ensure permanence as quickly as possible and then allow ourselves the luxury of reaching the playoffs in the best way. I think that the experience of last season has helped us to take things more calmly, taking into account that what we want is to reach the playoffs with the team at 100% at a competitive and mental level. The season lacked that point of freshness.

For the Catalan coach, his team has the level to finish in the top four and achieve home court factor in the playoffs, where the goal would be to get through the first round and dream of everything. “We have a very competitive team that will surely face the challenge with great enthusiasm,” he says.

contest the lead

Of course, he does not hide that he did not expect to be able to be fighting for first place at this point with a victory behind Menorca and El Prat: «I would be lying if I said yes. There are projects that were much more designed to dominate our league. We are a fairly new project that year by year we are growing. Even so, we find ourselves in a situation in which the team, working very well and growing day by day, finds itself in this situation. We can dispute the leadership of the group. It is something that depends on us and we are going to go for it with all the energy and enthusiasm in the world because we have been earning it day by day.

«I think the project has grown a lot off the court and the players on the court are following this growth. We don’t want to stop them and we don’t want to sell the victimizing discourse that it’s not our turn. We are here and if we continue to win, we will have the opportunity to fight for the lead in the group, something that makes us all very excited. We want to be ambitious and we don’t have to look back. We want to keep looking forward. The team has grown enough to fight with the best in this group, we are one of them and we are going to try to fight for the lead”, continues the coach.

great template

When asked about the key to this season, it is clear to him: the squad. «Jordi (Grimau), as sports director, has the responsibility and challenge of forming a squad that is as competitive as possible within our limitations. I think we have assembled a group of great players who work hard on a day-to-day basis and have tremendous personal ambition. That plus the year that we have of experience with those who repeat, have made the group very united on the court and we have had great games. At the beginning, after the defeats in Benicarló and Menorca, we were not clear about the level of the team. There we all took a step to have to work more and be humble. And from there, week by week, the dressing room has managed to become a big family and learn to suffer together. That is the key to this season.”

Another aspect that Flores wants to highlight is the high level of competitiveness: «It is a reflection of what we have done on a day-to-day basis in training, where the competitive level between us is very high. I don’t remember a week in which I have come out of training thinking about how bad everything was. That, helped by the game philosophy that we have tried to capture, which has made us play with joy in matches, has given us a lot. I think the energy that the team has put into defense is also key. Players who weren’t so used to defending and have accepted the challenge.

In addition, he adds: «When the team has a lot of energy in defense, it is a very difficult team to stop in attack. We are a team with many offensive options. Much of these are based on the triple threat. The game between our point guards and Vinicius has been decisive in releasing this series of triples. The ambition that we have had from the defense has made us believe a lot in ourselves as a team.

The fans, a pillar

Finally, Flores does not want to stop talking about the fans: «The most important thing this season is what is being achieved off the track. The social movement, the people are with us and we notice it. We are feeling spectacular support. We love playing at home. We have made a fort, but it is a fort where people come to have a good time. That’s what doesn’t fill the most. The people who come on Saturday come to enjoy basketball, to enjoy the team and to enjoy with the team. When things go wrong, people do not stop cheering, and when they go well, enjoy twice as much. It is something very important to preserve and that we want to continue growing. We want to have problems in Sa Pedrera because there is no room for people. That would be the challenge.”