Portugal national team

[JRS Bonnet]

why will do you cut three players?we have 16 players and we don't cut no one player...

we will remain 16 until the end of qualifying, selecting from time to time the 12 players...

good luck for the qualifies

Thanks! I didn't know that.

[JRS Bonnet]

Italy 97 ‒ Portugal 45

Portugal suffered a crushing and demoralizing defeat in Sassari. The starting five included 2 point-guards (Mário Fernandes and Miguel Minhava) and a SF (Paulo Cunha) at the PF position... Let’s hope João Santos is fit for the remaining games. Veteran Jaime Silva made his case for the starting SG job (8 points in 18 minutes, 3/4 FG, 2/2 from behind the arch, 2 steals).

[JRS Bonnet]

Portugal 67 ‒ Czech Republic 74

With Mário Fernandes out, and though Miguel Minhava was the starting PG, Portugal played better with young Tomás Barroso (9 points, 5 assists) at the helm. One thing is certain: Jaime Silva is not afraid to shoot threes (20 points, 6/13 from behind the arch). Erratic João Gomes. Cláudio Fonseca tries hard and Elvis Évora is soooooo tired. On a positive note, João Santos is back and Portugal’s hustle play was encouraging.

It was nice to have seen Francisco Jordão on the stands: his early retirement is one of the saddest stories of recent Portuguese basketball history.

[JRS Bonnet]

Turkey 74 ‒ Portugal 62

This was Portugal’s best game so far.

Cláudio Fonseca was very active today (16 points, 10 rebounds and 1 block) and João Gomes was back to his usual self (19 points, 8 rebounds ‒ it’s amazing how good a rebounder he is: 7.3 rpg).

It saddens me to think that João Santos (10P, 7R and 5 steals) has yet to find a team…

By the way, Portugal outrebounded Turkey (41-36)!

I don´t speak Turkish but I believe that the Turkish TV commentators said a few words about the extinction of F.C. Porto’s basketball section.