Banky: “Our hearts are in pieces, but we are proud”

Proud of her effort Latvia despite losing 81-79 to Germany in the World Cup quarter-final, the team’s coach said, Luca Banki.

“There is disappointment, but we must not lose sight of what we achieved, the way we played and the identity we showed. To be on the same table as the seven best teams in the world shows that we are capable of competing with them and that makes me very proud. The beginning of the fourth quarter was our worst stretch, but we mustn’t forget that we were up against a team with four NBAers. Our defense was almost perfect tonight, but we lost our focus a little bit at that point and got a little rushed on offense. We are not perfect, but we are proud of our imperfections. Although our hearts are broken, we have two more games and we must play them and play them well. Only when you compete with the best can you become better. We have been absent from major events since 2017 and every experience is valuable. We presented our players, our identity and we are proud, as well as the support of our people in Jakarta and Manila“, emphasized the Italian coach.

As for the fact that in the ranking matches will face his home team, Italyhe said: “Players have a few hours to clear their minds of bad thoughts. For me it will be a bit strange because I am Italian. But I didn’t expect when I took over that we would be in the eight best teams in the world and we would be playing Italy who are also among them, so I am doubly proud».

THE Davis Bertanswho had 20 points on 6/13 3-pointers but missed the final, said: “I am very proud of this team. We fought every game and we were able to claim victory, not because of the performance of some players, but because we tried as a team. Unfortunately I failed in the end. Coming here the only goal was to give everything and we did. There is no player who has not done this. Now we have two more games in front of us and the only thing on our mind is to win them».