A competition that leads Bolivian basketball to dream with the National Team

COCHABAMBA (Bolivia) - The Bolivian Basketball Federation (FBB) is going through a great moment with the development of a league for youth players called the Bolivian Youth League of Basketball (LIBOMENOR), which began in April and which ended in June. The winner of this competition, for category 2005 in its inaugural 2019 version, was Urcupiña de Quillacollo, who in addition to being the first champion, won the grand prize of competing in the South American U14 Championship, which was held in Goiânia, Brazil, on July 2-6, representing the colors of your country.

This team did not manage to achieve good results in the tournament, but they did position the colors of their flag on top, getting in the tournament, the Fair Play Team award, as well as being the second scoring team with 216 points, behind the champion, Argentina (392), and having the leading scorer of the competition, Adrián Corrales, and Ignacio Jiménez among the top 5 of the competition.

Marco Arze and Gustavo Carmona, President and Vice President of the FBB, carry out the project of LIBOMENOR in its management, a project whose main objective is to grow the smaller categories in order to strengthen the major league and in the future to the National selection.

"The league will be very useful for the training of boys so that tomorrow will be the reserve of the elderly," said Marco Arze.

The best two teams of this first edition were the clubs of Urcupiña and E.J Plaza, being the final the best of 3 games, with the victory of Urcupiña in two of them, to be the champion of the first edition of the unpublished LIBOMENOR.

"At 90 percent, everything is positive in the debut of LIBOMENOR. The commitment of the boys is incredible, also of the parents who take their children to play, "said the FBB's top leader.

"The stars of the future are in these teams, there are children who have incredible talent. It is doing a great job for these young people and if it is given continuity it will be a marvel ", expressed in FIBA.basketball, Antonio Plaza, coach of E.J Plaza.

The competition designed for the children of the Bolivian country brings together great projects for the future. It is expected that a period of between 4 to 5 years, the players of the LIBOMENOR who strengthen the Bolivian Basketball League (LIBOBASQUET) and that the champion of this competition can compete in the South American League and that, in addition, the Major Selection of Bolivia, have selectable elements with the technical conditions to dispute a future classification to a World Cup.

"As the first vice president and head of the leagues in Bolivia, Bolivia's participation in the South American U14 in Brazil has been a great satisfaction. We had the support of the parents so that the champion team of LIBOMENOR could attend the tournament, as a sports award, representing the Bolivian basketball, "added FBB Vice President Gustavo Carmona at FIBA.basketball.com.

The Urcupiña Club, after defeating, in the Playoffs to the best of three games, its rival of E.J. Plaza, was crowned champion of the first edition of LIBOMENOR. The last match was played with much nervousness, according to the Bolivian basketball fans, it is the first time that both Urcupiña and E.J. Plaza, they disputed a title of this magnitude and even more, having the highest prize, that of representing Bolivia in the South American Tournament.

In that final, the result was the least, the members of the two clubs and representatives of the city of Quillacollo, who went around the Olympics together, to show that the important thing is not the competition but the acquired learning.

"In Bolivia, we do not live from basketball, we live for basketball. Believing that you could play a league in Bolivia, was our motivation, "said Marco Corrales, coach of Club Urcupiña, in FIBA.basketball.

"We came out champions before a Coliseum filled in Quillacollo. I have not seen so many people in a basketball game for a long time. We asked the team of E.J Plaza to go around the Olympics together, showing that there are no rivalries between us, "added the coach.

For his part, the President, Marco Arze, thanked the parents for being the main promoters of this first major edition and stressed that "with this new product of the FBB, Bolivian basketball will increase in the coming years, to feed of new talents to the LIBOBASQUET (major league) and to shorten technical distances in the international context ".

That is how Bolivia joined Group B in the South American Tournament, along with the hosts Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay, while in Group A, selections from Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay were present. The sporting result in the tournament was a 0-4 record in the final positions, but the prizes that they took home, were worth much more than everything.

"We knew that in the South American U14, we were going to compete against great teams of the continent. We could have reinforced the team, but decided to travel with the guys who had played throughout the year in the Club. We could have done more against selected powers such as Brazil or Argentina, but the idea of this tournament was another, was to learn, know and take the experience, "said Corrales.

"In Brazil, the teams and fans present did not believe that we were a team formed in a school and that we had been encouraged to face teams like Brazil, Paraguay, and Chile. The physical difference was very marked, with boys of 1.84 meters we faced players over 2 meters. "

"Brazil made us pay the right floor, we lost with them in the debut (24-97), and that reflected what was happening, we had inexperienced guys, who had not even been provincial selection. The next day, against Chile, we won a lot of the match, but they got ahead and we could not recover the difference (42-69). The coach of Chile, Daniel Frola, approached at the end of the game, he told me that really the level of the boys was very acceptable. Then we won the great part of the match against Paraguay, they were surprised by our level, but we fell (60-69). We lost against Uruguay (49-70) because we were without a bank and against Colombia (41-80) we were already very tired ".

However, at the awards ceremony, Bolivia, the recognition and the ovation of all those present took place. The Fair Play award, being the most correct team of the championship, something very important for the country, which also had another great recognition, that of Adrián Corrales, son of coach Marco, who was the top scorer of the tournament, converting 94 points and averaging 18.8 per game, and Ignacio Jiménez, who was the fifth-best scorer of the tournament, with his contribution of 70 points.

Adrián Corrales plays in the base and forward position, he started playing at age 4 and then at age 7 he went to play at Club Urcupiña with his father.

"It was a great experience. When they told us that we were going to represent Bolivia in the South American Tournament, I felt very happy and wanting to win. We went to Brazil, we saw the physique and stature of the rivals, but we did not lower our heads. I spoke to my classmates and told them that they could be better physically, but we had a big heart. What we did was historic, a school was facing the best players in each country, "said the player of 1.79 meters.

"It is very important for me and for my country, to have been chosen as the best scorer of the tournament. This does not end here, you have to keep working. The colors of the shirt of my country always ahead, one of my dreams is to be a national team one day, "said Adrian, full of longings, that maybe one day he can fulfill and remember this as one of the most important in your life.

"It's a sporting milestone, something historic for basketball in Bolivia because in no category has this sporting feat ever been achieved before. With this, it is demonstrated that the launch of LIBOMENOR was a great success, which is projected to reap the rewards in a process of 6 to 8 years, where it is hoped to achieve talent formation with projection for LIBOBASQUET, the National Team, and if It is possible to export hierarchy players abroad one day, "added Gustavo Carmona, at FIBA.basketball.com.

"We received many compliments from the different selections. And we said to ourselves, that if a school played him from pair to pair to other selections, how would it be to play with a National Team of Bolivia. We asked for opportunities and we realized that there is talent. We traveled 48 hours by bus to achieve recognition and when we returned we were received and recognized by the Federation and the city of Quillacollo, "said the coach, who said:" The mentality of everyone from this trip, has changed. "

FIBA