Getting to know Group D: The defending champs face a pair of old rivals

MIAMI (United States) – The time has come wrap up the group previews and Group D is up next. For the second consecutive season, reigning champions SESI Franca, Obras and UdeC will share a zone. Last season, the Chileans joined the Brazilians in advancing to the next stage. Will that scenario repeat itself this year?

UdeC (CHI) 

They have won 3 national titles in a row and this season they remain in great shape, advancing to the Copa Chile playoffs. At the time of publication, they were a win away from the Final 4. The beginning of 2024 will bring renewed focus on their domestic league.

Appearances (including 2023-24): 4
After missing out on the inaugural BCL Americas season, they have participated in four consecutive editions. Last year marked their best performance, as they notched a pair of wins to advance out of the Group Stage and into the quarterfinals.

Head Coach: Cipriano Nuñez
This is his third season at the helm, starting in 2021-22 and since then he’s led them to three consecutive domestic titles. All in all, Nuñez has six Chilean League titles, one as a player and five as a coach.

2023-24 Roster:
Nicolás Aguirre
Evandro Arteaga
Eugenio Luzcando
Sebastián Carrasco
Andrés Dominguez
Marquez Letcher
Carlos Milano
Daniel Prinsloo
Yahuza Rasas
Michael Rivera
Kevin Rubio
Lino Sáez
Diego Silva
Alejandro Vergara

Outlook:
A year ago, they beat Obras in their head-to-head matchups and advanced to the quarterfinals. The goal this time around is to advance out of the Group Stages once again and doing it in consecutive seasons would show great growth for the team and Chilean basketball. They bring back most of the same roster that accomplished it last season.

Obras (ARG) 

Obras had a good showing last year at Argentina’s LNB, advancing to the quarterfinals, and are currently enjoying a great start (8-2 at the time of publication) to the current season. This storied franchise also boasts a Liga Sudamericana title (2011) and a silver medal at Intercontinental Cup (1978).

Appearances (including 2023-24): 4
This will be their fourth consecutive showing at BCLA after only missing the inaugural edition. They’ve never been able to advance out of the Group Stages, so that will likely be their main goal.

Head Coach: Peter Domínguez
The American has left a great first impression thanks to an explosive beginning to their LNB season. Before this experience with the Argentinian squad, he was an assistant coach and development coach with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. He was also a video coordinator for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2017-20 and was also part of the Armenian National Team’s coaching staff.

2023-24 Roster:
Pedro Barral
Lautaro Barrios
Leandro Cerminato
Alejo Digón
Felipe Inyaco
Juan Madrigal
Víctor Pérez
Juan Respaud
Miguel Ruiz
Caique Silva
Franco Smaniotti
Jeffrey Solarin
Andre Spight
Hugues Tha Andela
Juan Venegas
Matías Von Schmeling

Outlook:
It would be a true failure for them to not advance out of the Group Stage. They have a chance to exact revenge on UdeC, but the pressure will once again be on their shoulders. Their positive start to the season allows them to arrive with a lot of confidence. Veteran point guard “Pepo” Barral will be called on to be their leader.

SESI Franca (BRA) 

They’re coming off the perfect season, where they won it all: domestic league, BCL Americas and Intercontinental Cup. Their roster this time around may not be as strong, but they’re having a great start to their NBB campaign, sitting just one game behind the leaders, and they’re poised to compete for the crown once again.

Appearances (including 2023-24): 4
They only missed the 2021-22 season, but they came back the next year to win the crown in undefeated fashion. Before that, they’d never been able to advance past the quarterfinals.

Head Coach: Helinho Garcia
He took over the team in 2016 and last season reached the peak of the mountain with the 3 titles. Before that, he’d won a domestic league and a Liga Sudamericana, proving his bona fides. At this point, it’s fair to compare him to his father, the mythical Hélio Rubens.

2023-24 Roster:
Paulo Barbosa
João Paulo Costa
João De Almeida
Lucas Dias
Vinicius Dos Santos
Jhonatan Dos Santos
Eduardo Elevi
Vítor Farias
Nathan Fernandes
Wesley Ferreira
Heissler Guillent
Charles Hinkle
David Jackson
Marcio Santos
Santiago Scala

Outlook:
It will be hard to win all 3 titles once again, especially after some key departures, but they still boast a great squad with many of last year’s heroes like Dias, Jackson, Jhonatan, Marcio and Scala. They also added Wesley Ferreira and Venezuelan star Heissler Guillent. Without a doubt they have the firepower to win this again, something that hasn’t been done yet at BCL Americas.

FIBA