Brussino hoping South American Championship will be his proving ground

MAR DEL PLATA (2016 South American Championship) - In a season in which forward Nicolas Brussino raised many expectations, an untimely injury raised concerns about his future. However, he hopes to be ready for the 2016 South American Championship.

Argentine basketball is in the midst of a renewal stage and as such many illusions are poised on young players with projections. An example is shooter Brussino, who had been putting up good performances, averaging 14.7 points and shooting 40 percent from three-point range.

Brussino, is in full recovery from a "severe ankle sprain with bone bruise in the fibula", he explained.

"I already passed the swollen process and started to make mobility exercises to get well for the semifinals of the League."

There was a general concern about Brussino's injury, because at first the thought was it was a more serious injury. The Peñarol of Mar del Plata player recognized he had the same fear.

"At first I thought, 'why is this happening to me, just as I was going through a good moment, both as an individual and as a team'. But when I heard the results and that there wouldn't be many days of recovery, I calmed down. Luckily I'll be able to participate in the commitments I have," he said.

The 2.02m tall player is expected to be among the players invited to be part of the national team process for 2016. He is confident that he will not have trouble for those commitments.

Brussino hopes to "get done with the ankle recovery, although I will have to work hard on the rehabilitation and earning confidence again in my game. The doctors assure me that I can get it done in time."

The player, born in the city of Cañada de Gómez, will be among the preliminary players for the South American Championship in June, which may be a good opportunity for him to consolidate his position in the Argentina team that also has the Olympic Games, in August.

"I feel that I have to go step by step. First think about being called for the South American Championship and then try to have a good tournament that will give me more confidence. If that helps me to have a chance to be in the squad for the Olympics, it would be great," he said.

Brussino accepts that he set personal goals with the national team, after the experiences he lived last year in the Pan American Games and in the FIBA Americas Championship.

That is why, he wants to be in Caracas for the South American Championship, because he believes that "the more international tournaments I have with the national team, the more confidence there is in me. It will serve me to know better the level of competition, and the concentration required for those international games. That makes a player prepare every day to keep up with the circumstances that arise from the national team."

Brussino, who debuted internationally at the 2014 South American Championship, exposed his most important wish: "The dream of being in the Olympics is always there. As a child I always dreamed of being in the national team and participating in the Olympics, but I know that if that doesn’t happen this year, I have to keep working and growing in order to have a new opportunity for 2020. However, I will fight to realize that dream this year."

FIBA