The Azerbaijan women's 3x3 basketball team won silver medals at the Champions Cup held in Bangkok. Brianna Fraser was particularly memorable with her confident play. She was the second most productive player of the tournament and was included in the symbolic team. Fraser spoke to Idman.Biz about how the first start of the year went for the team.
- The team debuted at the Champions Cup and won silver. How important is the result for you?
- This result is very important for us. We came here with great confidence in ourselves and the work we have done as a team. Representing Azerbaijan at this level is a great honor, and playing in the final showed how much we have improved.
- What do you think was the main key to reaching the final?
- The internal harmony and physical preparation of our team. In 3x3 basketball, everything happens very quickly and the games are quite tough. Therefore, communication and mutual trust between players are very important. We stood together in difficult moments and played confidently.
- You were included in the symbolic team of the tournament. What does this recognition mean to you?
- This is nice for me. But to be honest, this is the work of the whole team. Everyone contributed to this tournament, and I could not have played like this without my teammates. I am very proud of the result we achieved together.
- The final against the Netherlands team was not easy. What conclusions did you draw after this game?
- The opponent played great and deserved to win. This is an additional motivation for us. Playing with the strongest teams helps us understand what we need to work on and how we can be better in the future.
- The Netherlands team not only won the Champions Cup, but also qualified for the tournament for the Olympic license. Don't you already feel sorry that you couldn't secure the right to participate in the qualifying stage of the Summer Games?
- It would have been great to fulfill this task in Bangkok. Unfortunately, we couldn't do it. But we don't give up, we have very interesting challenges ahead. Of course, our main goal is to continue the fight for a license to the Los Angeles Olympics. We will still have a chance and we will definitely use it.
- What tournaments await the team in the future?
- We want to continue to develop and compete at the highest level. The goal is to fight for victory in every tournament and in every game. There are stages of the World Series ahead, and three of them will be held in Azerbaijan. We will try to show the maximum result.