Jackson: “The team's motto is ‘Trust’”
CHOCO, COLOMBIA (DIRECTV Liga Sudamericana 2017) - Cimarrones del Chocó opened the 2017 edition of the DIRECTV Liga Sudamericana with a surprise after defeating the Uruguayan champions Hebraica y Macabi, 7
CHOCO (DIRECTV Liga Sudamericana 2017) - Cimarrones del Chocó opened the 2017 edition of the DIRECTV Liga Sudamericana with a surprise after defeating the Uruguayan champions Hebraica y Macabi, 78-72. At the international club level, this is possibly the most important victory in the history of Colombian basketball.
The game’s outstanding figure was Shooting Guard Michael Jackson, who stands out with his impressive statistics of 31 points, 6 rebounds and 7 steals; including 9 points during the last 2:20 minutes of the game.
At the end of the game, Jackson spoke about the victory to FIBA.basketball.
What can you comment on this important and historic victory of Cimarrones against Hebraica?
It's a great opportunity to be here helping the Cimarrones team and living historic moments like these. This is one of the country’s best venues and it deserves the international glory that we could bring with this triumph. Hebraica y Macabi are a great and difficult rival, and they're their country's champions. This game was won by concentration. We were invested up to the very last minute, we didn't give up and we achieved this great victory.
You had a great night with 31 points in the game. What allowed you to perform so effectively?
The team’s motto is ‘Trust’”. It has been repeated constantly since I arrived. The team has trusted me and I trust my teammates. That was portrayed tonight. It’s the adequate environment for everyone to give their best and that’s what I did in this game. I was able to play at my maximum and contribute to this victory.
This triumph alters all predictions and expectations that existed for Group A. They make you contenders to qualify for the Semi-Finals. What will happen now in the match against San Martín?
As our coach says: "we have to keep our heads cool". This is only beginning. We can’t lower our guards because we still have to face elite South American teams such as San Martín de Corrientes and Flamengo. We must come to work tomorrow, to reconfigure ourselves, to fix the mistakes we made in this game and prepare for a San Martín that will give their all to get even after the defeat they suffered in their debut. There’s still games to play and we have to keep improving.
FIBA