Eddie Casiano recognizes that Mexico is a “very dangerous” opponent

Almost three months ago, Mexico dominated Puerto Rico in the second window in Indianapolis and put them on the brink of being eliminated from the AmeriCup 2022.

Tomorrow, Friday, with differences on both sides, the teams will face each other again and need a win in the third and final window of this qualifying game played in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, without an audience.

Mexico (2-2), Puerto Rico (1-3) and Bahamas (1-3) are looking for a qualifier for the AmeriCup 2022 via Group D, led by the United States (4-0), who have already secured their pass.

The leader of the national team, Eddie Casiano, described today, Thursday, as dangerous for this edition of Mexico, who came to Puerto Rico with a new leader in the figure of former player Omar Quintero in place of the Spanish Paco Olmos, and with the presence of its leader and former NBA player, Gustavo Ayón.

“I know the players. They are very strong in the paint. You have to see how the leader is going to use them. I know Omar Quintero (leader). I know he plays the classic inside. It is a very dangerous team, which we know has hard rebounds and hard defenses, ”said Casiano, who has a lot of experience in the Mexican league.

“We need to regain our strength as a family. Not just (the players on the positions) of four and five. It must also be 1, 2 and 3. And if we dominate the tables, we can have easy baskets, ”added Casiano.

Quintero will be Mexico’s driver in place of Olmos, who led Mexico’s victory over Puerto Rico last November, but this time he didn’t travel with the team struggling to summon the players to the window.

Besides Ayón, Mexico also brought the shipowners Paul Stoll Y Jose Estrada, who combined for 24 points and 12 assists against Puerto Rico in the final game, which the Aztecs dominated 81-56. Ayón was not in the last window.

Statistically speaking, it would be enough for Mexico to have a win to qualify for the 2022 AmeriCup. The same would happen to Puerto Rico with just one win in the Bahamas.

Casiano, for his part, spoke positively in the conference call about this edition of the Puerto Rican squad that will be returning José Juan Barea and Gian Clavell, and that will see Shabazz Napier’s expected debut.

This time, Casiano has had better preparation with the group compared to the previous window in the middle of the action of the BSN bubble that created a negative atmosphere in the call due to differences from the superior competition. He has been training with a good group of baskets for over two weeks, lacking the stature and strength in the paint.

“The preparation was extraordinary. The players are super disciplined and super emotional. It’s a different group. The usual is missing: height. But we have the speed of midplayers and the inclusion of Barea, of Shabazz, as well as Gian’s. We have a fairly complete team, balanced enough to make a good and beautiful representation, ”he said.

Casiano, in turn, left the door open to start the game with Barea and Shabazz on the edge.

After Mexico, Puerto Rico will face the Bahamas on Saturday to close the window. The Bahamas had Puerto Rico on the brink of elimination in the last window, before falling 91-85.

Cassian described the Bahamas as a known rival.

“It’s a great hybrid team. It has many shooters. We have to contain them one-on-one, and not let them shoot in three directions. In this edition we have more points than in the previous edition. Defensively, I think they will have a bit more trouble because we have more options to attack them, ”he said.