Puerto Rico's David Huertas: ''We had the opportunity to win''

MONTEVIDEO (FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers 2019) — Puerto Rico let the opportunity slip away from their fingers of taking a gigantic step towards next year's World Cup in China. Everything was ready for Uruguay to celebrate a party in the sports inauguration of Antel Arena, and with the coaching debut of 2004 Olympic champion, Rubén Magnano. However, led by a fired-up David Huertas, the Boricuas came very close to taking home the triumph that would have placed them in a completely different position.

The Puerto Rican shooting guard, the game's greatest scorer with 36 points, analyzed the defeat: “We came to play as visitors to a full house and in a beautiful environment. It was difficult to win here. They came in with great energy, but we were able to adjust during the game. We had the chance, which is what you want as a team. We believed in ourselves as a group, we had good moments and others that weren’t as good, but we always worked on the defense, on the rebound and in the end, it was very close. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to tie the game from the free-throw line.”

That throw that Huertas is referring to was part of a series of three free throws that resulted from a foul by the Uruguayans, who were winning 63-60 with 4.8 seconds left. The truth is that it was Huertas himself who had kept the team alive with a legendary personal performance. “It's not what I did on an individual level, but about what we wear across our chests — our country. I had a great game, but it didn’t help us at all because I ended up missing the free throw that could lead us to win,” commented who was Puerto Rico’s leader in José Juan Barea's absence.

That leadership was analyzed by his coach, Eddie Casiano: “Huertas is the group’s mature player. He’s the one who has been playing with us all this time. Now he's playing in Mexico under the structure of a Spanish coach, Paco Olmos, and that allows him to understand the game much better; what you're looking for and how it must be done.”

Casiano, coach of the islander squad that are now fourth in the Americas’ Group E with a 5-4 record, stated: “They defended their court, they did it well. Uruguay are a rustic team that play well and put in a lot of pressure. We must get used to that game style. They surprised us at the beginning, but we battled, we made the necessary adjustments, but mental mistakes made us lose. We made a personal foul, we arrived late to the defense, we allowed offensive rebounds and we defended 22 of the 24 seconds of each attack. Those details were the ones that defined the game.”

Meanwhile, Ricky Sánchez, one of the other experienced Puerto Rico players, added: “What we could rescue as positive is how we fought and recovered from a 10-point disadvantage. But what's important here are the victories, and we couldn't get it. We're aware of the reality of where this defeat places us, that this puts us further away from the Cup. It was a great effort that we couldn’t materialize. That three-pointer by Calfani at the end sentenced us.”

Puerto Rico participated in 14 world championships, with 8 consecutive appearances (their last absence was in 1982, in Colombia). Their defeat against Uruguay turns on all alarms for the Boricuas, who now must urgently gather victories.

For his part, Huertas assured: “We’ll focus once again, we’ll try to defeat Panama and think about winning the two (games) of the following window, which will be at home.”

Sánchez shared a similar thought: “We have to erase this game quickly. It's done. That’s how this qualifying system is. You have a couple of days and you have to be prepared again for the next game.”

Calculator in hand and sights set not only on their next encounters, but on what their direct rivals may achieve, Puerto Rico will seek to move on to the next page and find the way to triumph to try to get ahold of a ticket to China 2019.

FIBA