Final 4: The best clubs go face-to-face as they dream of the BCL Americas title

FRANCA (Brazil) – The defining moments of the Season 4 Basketball Champions League Americas are upon us. The Final 4, taking place April 14-15 at Ginásio Pedrocão in Franca, Brazil, will determine both the new champion and the Americas representative in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup to be played in September in Singapore.

The first semifinal will feature Brazilian powerhouses Minas and Flamengo, while the second one has hosts Sesi Franca facing Quimsa from Argentina. The winners will vie for the title on the 15th, while the losers will battle for bronze.

These are the details for each duel:

Minas (BRA) vs. Flamengo (BRA)

17:30 – Local time

 

These two squads know each other all too well from the Brazilian domestic league and went head-to-head last season in the BCL Americas quarter finals, where Minas won and prevented Flamengo from defending their title. With lots of recent history between them, the table is set for revenge.

Statistical comparison:

	-
90.5	PTS	90.0
79.4	PTS against	68.0
50.0%	FG	48.9%
40.2%	3P	39.1%
75.8%	FT	66.4%
40.0	REB	41.5
22.3	AST	23.1
5.5	STL	7.4
2.0	BLK	1.5
12.8	TO	13.1

 

Key players:

Forward Shaquille Johnson (18.3 points) and big man Wesley Ferreira (16.4) are the leaders of Minas' offense, but head coach Leo Costa's squad has plenty of other key contributors. Point guard Alexey Borges is their floor general (averaging 10.0 points and 6.6 assists), center Renan Lenz (9.6 points) can stretch the floor with his outside shooting and Alexandre Paranhos (7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds) is their main threat on the boards. Isaac Hamilton (10.5 points) and Felipe Vezaro (51.4 percent from downtown) are some of their other stalwarts.

Flamengo also relies on their collective game. Gustavo Conti's squad has multiple ways of doing damage, including five players who score more than 10.0 points per game and another three who average above 9.0 for a total of eight guys averaging close to double digits. Argentinians Martín Cuello (12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists) and José Vildoza (11.9 points) lead the way, while the versatile Gabriel Galvanini (11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds), Rafael Mineiro (9.4 points and 5.3 boards) and guard Ricardo Fischer (10.2 points and 3.0 assists) round out a stellar supporting cast.

This is what they said:

"Flamengo is one of the best teams in the Americas, so it will be a game where we'll need a lot of focus, tactical discipline and energy to reach the final," Renan Lenz – Minas center

"It's going to be a very tough game. We already played them in NBB and both games were intense and close. Surely this will be similar. We'll bring our best strategy, but we have to focus on getting to that game in our best version and I have a lot of faith on our team," Martín Cuello - Flamengo forward

Sesi Franca (BRA) vs. Quimsa (ARG)

20:30 – Local time

 

Sesi Franca is the tournament's lone undefeated club and they'll be playing at home – making them the big favorites. They're also hungry to prove themselves at the international level and this title is Helinho's squad perfect chance. Meanwhile, Quimsa already know what it is to lift the BCLA title and have enough experience to make things tough for the hosts.

Statistical comparison:

	-
95.3	PTS	90.0
76.9	PTS against	79.6
48.3%	FG	48.8%
35.3%	3P	39.4%
82.8%	FT	76.3%
41.9	REB	38.0
19.6	AST	19.1
6.6	STL	7.3
3.8	BLK	3.1
10.6	TO	11.4

 

Key players:

Sesi Franca's roster depth has been one of the biggest keys in their current magical run throughout the domestic league and BCLA. The trio formed by power forward Lucas Dias (17.9 points and 8.1 rebounds), center Lucas Mariano (15.5 points) and shooting guard David Jackson (15.1 points) is the most lethal of the competition, but the team's cornerstone is forward Georginho De Paula. The versatile wing is the complete package and comes in averaging 14.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

Quimsa also has plenty of reasons to be hopeful, as several key cogs from the 2019-20 title run remain on the team. Those are forwards Brandon Robinson and Fabián Ramírez, point guard Franco Baralle and shooting guard Mauro Cosolito, who are still shining for the Argentinian squad that is now helmed by new head coach Leandro Ramella. Robinson is one of the top scorers of the competition (20.6 points per game), while Baralle has been playing arguably the best basketball of his career (13.3 points and 45.3 percent from beyond the arc). They also feature center Eric Anderson Jr. who anchors the defense with game averages of 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.1 steals.

This is what they said:

"Quimsa is a team with a long history and tradition in the continent. They have talented players. It's going to be a great duel. We must improve our focus on defensive because we're not going to have an inspired offense every day. We have to try to win with a greater offensive effort," Georginho De Paula – Sesi Franca forward

"We know about Franca's quality, the players they have and their stars. They're a great team. But we also know we have our own. Against Brazilians teams, you must dominate in several aspects of the game. They have more size and big men who can shoot. We have to neutralize those things and if we're able to, I think we can compete and in a single game, make it go in our favor," Mauro Cosolito – Quimsa shooting guard

FIBA