GUAYAQUIL (Ecuador) - Ecuadorian basketball is going through a great moment with its national teams, in constant preparation to face the championships in the second half of the year, and a Bronze Medal in the middle, which motivates the basketball players and the Ecuadorian Basketball Federation (FEB) to continue working on the growth of this sport in the country.

In the Brazilian city of Goiania, the U-14 team, led by Raúl Vilatuña, finished third in the South American category. The Tricolor defeated Paraguay (69-57) and won the Bronze Medal.

 
The tricolor in its debut fell 55-28 against Argentina; while in the second duel he lost 56-62 against Uruguay. In his third presentation, he recovered and won 62-46 against Colombia. The story continued for the team, which at the end of the qualifying phase, reached four points, equal to the quintets of Uruguay and Colombia, but with a better average of baskets of difference which allowed him to qualify for one of the semifinals as the second of the group 2, behind Argentina that completed 6 units. In the sum of the baskets for and against, Ecuador registered minus 23, while Uruguay with 4 points reached minus 48 and Colombia, with 4 units, minus 72.

"In spite of the little preparation of our selection, it was a very outstanding performance, it is the second bronze medal in a South American so I feel very proud. This shows that in our country there is raw material with a lot of talent and that with better planning, we could obtain better results, "coach Raúl Vilatuña said at FIBA.basketball.com.

"The National Team was made up of the best players from different provinces, such as Pichincha, Guayas, El Oro, Sucumbíos and Esmeraldas. Based on the participation in La Liga Nacional U14, organized by the FEB, we form this team to participate in the tournament. It is worth noting that the boys came from a national league and afterward we had a month and a little more preparation, "said the coach.

In its fourth presentation during the South American, the national team, had in front of the hosts, winners of group 1, who were more effective in their releases and reached the victory by 66-26 to access the final, this was how Ecuador had the opportunity to fight for the third place of the contest.

"The athletes had excellent participation on and off the field. We must highlight his desire to work and want to be someone in Ecuadorian basketball, many of them do not have the financial resources but see a future through basketball. I rescue that desire to work and position the country. I feel very proud to have directed and represented our country and put the patriotic colors on top, is something that I will remember and I will carry throughout my life, "said Vilatuña.

With this medal, Ecuador returns to position itself among the South American national teams. In social networks, what was achieved by the national team, stood out as an achievement "brilliant as bronze and valuable as gold".

"Now we have to prepare for the U15 Tournament, which is qualifiers, that's why we are, together with the FEB, trying to improve the preparation work and be able to be a little more competitive, respecting the hierarchy of the countries of South America "Added the coach.

With the arrival of José Arévalo to the presidency and his group of leaders, the FEB assumed the process of sending the male categories to international tournaments. It was not an easy road, but the leadership got the resources to finance travel and betting on the selections from which the fruits are now seen.

Today in the Ecuadorian country there is the talk of medals, classifications, and victories, with the sowing that started in the Mini Basketball together with the parents and with the constant support of the Federation, which bet long term with solid work in all the categories.

In addition, soon the FEB will face another new and great challenge, that of trying to get a new medal, when the South American U14 of the category, this time in female, host as host in the city of Guayaquil from July 22 to 27 in the Abel Jiménez Parra Coliseum located in Parque Samanes.

The Pearl of the Pacific will host the tournament in which 7 teams will participate, in Group B, will be the venue, Ecuador, along with Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, while Group A will be made up of Chile, Argentina, and Colombia.

The FEB, like all national federations, feels that this is the path through which the national teams have to go. The blank in these categories and the experiences they obtain will be the fruit of the major selections.

FIBA