Gregory Vargas: “We’ll give it our all because today we either live or we die”

ARGENTINA (FIBA AmeriCup 2017) -Venezuela’s National Team Point Guard, Gregory Vargas, spoke after the tight victory against Virgin Islands (86-84), and addressed the game against Canada at a definitory round for the 3 teams on Group B at the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 that’s taking place at the Osvaldo Casanova Stadium.

“It’s a big deal, we’re still alive and today’s game is a matter of life or death. Although it was sort of a tragic victory in the end, we made it. We managed to stay together and finished off with a victory," said the Venezuelan, who finished the game with 13 points (6/3 in free throws, 5/8 in doubles and 1/5 in triples).

“Canada has a great team. They know they have a chance to qualify so they’ll go all out. It’s a decisive match. We know what we have to do and what not to do. We have to stick together; we want to be on the Final Four,” the Point Guard firmly stated.

“These are short and intense tournaments, like the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico. Even though it was longer, it was also intense because there was a game every day and we had a limited amount of time to rest. We started off bad but finished well. You can’t complain or celebrate, you have to think about what’s coming and work for it. All 3 teams have a chance to qualify. It will be a decisive day.”

Regarding his brother, José Vargas, who won’t be playing the rest of the tournament, he said: “José does a lot on the court, but unfortunately he’s out.” He then added: “We know Canada has inside game and we have to think about our defense and keep their score low. We’re a team that are used to defend, so we must bet on it. We can try to run the court and do open shots.”

“It’s been an aggressive, demanding and physical tournament. We have to give it our all and play another Final Four. Forget about other things like training and physical exhaustion. If we manage to qualify, those days before Cordoba will help us be at a 100%. We have to give it all at the court because we know that today we either live or we die.”

FIBA