The metronome of Breo’s new rival distributed 9 assists against Real Madrid
30 sep 2023 . Updated at 6:48 p.m.
Daniel Pérez Otero (LHospitalet de Llobregat, 1990) is the main point guard of the always competitive Bsquet Manresa and the extension of Pedro Martínez on the court. A specialist in direction, in creating play and improving his teammates, as well as an example of evolution to being one of the best point guards in the ACB and already playing three games with the national team.
How does the equipment arrive?
I think good. We have just had a very good preseason. We won practically every game except the final of the Catalan League, which we lost against Barcelona and competing. It is noted that we have maintained the block from last year. The majority of players who finished last season continue with Pedro, who knows us, we know him and that has facilitated what would be the adaptation process, of getting to know each other and we have been able to do everything faster.
How is it in Manresa in its fifth season?
Super good. As you say, it’s my fifth season. It has been difficult for me to find this stability somewhere. And in Barcelona, both I and my family have felt very comfortable from the beginning. My wife has a job, my son was born in Manresa. And on a professional level, that comfort and how good I feel is also reflected. My best years of basketball in the league have been here in Manresa and I think I am still at a good level and eager.
Do you establish similarities between Lugo and Manresa as basketball cities?
Yes, yes, yes. Well yes, in fact, today speaking with a player, who is new to the league, I told him that, that the Lugo field is very complicated, that it is a hobby that is very demanding, that basketball is lived in a very passionate way and very intensely. Lugo is a very, very nice course to play. And as you say, they are two small cities in which basketball is somewhat the king of the sport, and the fans are very passionate and push hard at all times.
Don’t you think you are an example of the LEB level that is later demonstrated in ACB?
Yes. It’s a bit the trend of recent years. It is very difficult for ACB clubs to bet on players who stand out or do well in the LEB. And then you see teams that rise and maintain the block, as Granada has been, as Palencia could have been this year. Players who come from the LEB are very valid and are capable of doing very well in ACB. My case has been a bit of a chore. I have been in the LEB for many years and they gave me the opportunity, then I went back down and now it seems that I have settled down.
You are the extension of Pedro Martínez’s track in these five seasons. What is he like?
I can only tell you good things about Pedro. He is a coach who has personally demanded a lot from me since my first year. And he takes you to the limit, he takes you to the limit from the daily work of demand and is at the same time what makes you improve. He really likes to work on all the details, on the simple things of basketball, which are often taken for granted that we players know how to do and do them well, because he is a coach who really likes to work on the details.
What differences are there between the Manresa squad compared to the last one?
Unlike last season’s team, from which we started, it is quite different. There are players who have modified the role a little and this year they are going to have a more important role, as is the case of Brancou (Badio), who finished last year in an incredible way and has to continue a little in that line. And then, obviously, the inside game from last year, from which we started, has changed a lot with the incorporation of Martinas Geben and Devin Robison. After the injury, Guillem Jou is going to perform very well again this year. Marcis Steinbergs is another young man who has been active with us for years and who has to continue taking steps.
You are a pure game director. Do you think it is a figure that exists less?
Yes, yes it can be. Maybe it is that every time, as you say, point guards are more scorers, there are more profiles of players who what they are looking for on the field is, above all, to score. In my case, I suppose that I am not super talented at scoring either or I consider that I have other teammates who are more talented than me at scoring. I like to make the team play, that my teammates on the court are comfortable with me, and as you say, I will be a bit of an extension of the coach on the court, trying to carry the ball and the pace of the game that best suits us.
What would you highlight about your teammates Brandon Taylor, Dani García and Brancou Badio, all of whom are point guards?
Brandon Taylor is a different player who comes from China, small, but he is very explosive and has many points, he is a very good shooter, he not only scores, but he is also very intense in both attack and defense and can complement each other. well with the rest of the bases. Dani García, a young player, who has also been with us for three years and who is taking one more step each year. He is a very hard worker, a very, very good teammate, and it is a pleasure for me to play with him because he works a lot and always without a bad face, without making a bad face because he plays perhaps fewer minutes than he deserves. And Brancou (Badio) has incredible speed and legs.
How do you rate Xevi Pujol, your sports director, who is insultingly young?
Yes, yes, yes. Well, he is my age, but I am starting to get too old to play, but he, to be a sports director, is very young. Well, look, he was an assistant coach in my first year at Manresa. And you can see that, in the good sense of the word, he is a basketball patient. He loves watching players, watching games from other leagues. He analyzes the game a lot. He is a person who breathes basketball and who, on top of that, has been trained here, in Manresa. It was a great success to trust him, despite his inexperience in the position and his youth. He is showing that he knows very well how this works, that he has a very good eye and he is going to be one of the best sports directors in this country, for sure, without a doubt.
What references do Breogn have?
They have several new players, some of them, honestly, I don’t know yet or I’ve seen very little of them. I know that they have brought in Martynas Sajus, a teammate of mine, and that I thought he was a great player the year he was here with us. I know that he has done well after his time here. I’m sure it’s going to be a very intense team, they’re going to play very hard basketball, very good at five-on-five, especially defending. They have been very, very good for some years. This year, also, playing in Europe. There are times when the teams that participate in Europe do very well and other times when it hurts them.
Do you think it is advisable for Breogn to play in the Champions League?
I speak to you from my personal experience. I have never been lucky enough to play Euroleague or Eurocup. Unlike those competitions, the Champions League is not every week. It gives you a little rest. Eurocup does end up suffocating you a little if you take weeks of traveling or the dynamics are not good and you can go into a tailspin. I loved the Champions League. It’s very pretty. It always gives you the option of, if you have a good competition, to go far, even though in the regular league, like us last year when we were not doing well in the league, but the team in the Champions League was advancing and we reached the quarterfinals. . For us personally last year it was very, very good to be able to enjoy ourselves and gain confidence when we were not doing well in the league. Winning the match during the week always gives you that extra and it is good for the players to play matches. What we like is to play. We prefer to play rather than train. It’s going to be good and I’m sure they can combine it and, if they have a more or less calm start, it’s going to be positive for the team and the club.
What stood out from Sergi Garca and Erik Quintela? And, even, by Sergi Quintela.
We know each other very well. Sergi Garcia seems to have found his place in Lugo, he has just had a very good season. He is growing again after the setback. Erik and Sergi Quintela are uncomfortable players in a good way, who press, who squeeze, who then are shameless in attack. The position is well covered despite the departure of Zan Sisko. They are players with a lot of character.
What stands out at the technical, tactical and physical level of Martynas Sajus?
A very great player. I got on very well with him. He is a great guy and a very good person. He is a big player, very good blocks, who uses his body well, he is reliable in the free throw, which is an important point for a big man. He has a good hand near the rim. I can only say good things about him, since my memory is very good.
Do you ever have the option to register for Breogn?
I had the option. It was talked about, it was talked about in one of my stages in LEB. I remember that there was some conversation, there was interest, but nothing was finalized because I don’t know if it was the year of Palencia or after and I ended up taking another offer.
Is it an option that you would consider in the medium term?
Of course you don’t have to close any doors at all. It is a club that has been doing things well for years. The fans are one of the best in the league and of course it would be a place where, if they were interested, it would be a pleasure for me.
How do you remember your debut with the national team?
Well, very good. Obviously, it was also a bit one of those situations that, when it came to me, perhaps you didn’t expect it at 32 years old to be able to debut in the senior team, but I had already been playing at a good level for a few years in Manresa. When I got the call, I was super excited. He had been in all the lower teams, he closed the circle a little. It was a great luxury, I enjoyed it very much and I will always remember it.
Jug in Menorca. How do you value the new project?
Menorca, yes, yes, as you say, little by little they go up little steps without making much noise. I have people I know there, who are even inside the club, and very happy. They are doing things very well, they are doing them wisely, without going crazy. They have been rising little by little and who knows, time will tell a little where they have the ceiling, but, if they continue doing things well and can sustain themselves financially and money comes in, well, you never know if they can return to the ACB league.
He played and was promoted with Palencia, but they did not rise administratively. How do you feel now that you are finally playing in ACB?
Deserved award. During my time we got promotion, but it couldn’t happen because at that time promotions were almost impossible. Luckily the rule has already changed. I’m very happy to hear it. There are almost the same people as when I was there. They work very well.
2023-09-30 17:32:29
#years #basketball #league #Manresa
