"We have enormous potential with a very well-balanced squad. I think that in any game, one player or another can emerge and change the game offensively or defensively. They are small things that add up to create winning teams," said the Catalan point guard, who also emphasized that he feels "renewed excitement and energy." "As the group's captain, I want to show that ambition and that desire for every day to be very positive and intense, so that it helps us finish as high as possible," he added.
Vives acknowledged that the team was "really hurting" for a couple of days after its latest defeat against Valencia Basket. "We are a group that takes defeat very hard, but it is also true that we have learned from both sides of it: the many positive things we did against Valencia, and then analyzing where we failed and when we were at our worst," said the point guard, who was confident that the team could turn the situation around and claim its next victory this Saturday in A Coruña.
Casademont travels to A Coruña after suffering its first defeat of the season against Valencia. Photo: ACBPhoto/Esther Casas
"We are coming off our first official defeat. We will see how the group reacts, and that will determine where we want to be. We need the bad moments to be short and get back on the rise as quickly as possible," said Vives, who also highlighted Casademont's different profiles at point guard. "The three of us complement each other very well. Trae (Bell-Haynes) is a scorer who can turn the game around when he finds his rhythm, Sergi (García) is a player with tremendous and explosive intensity, and I have more of an organizer's profile, trying to make everyone feel comfortable," the red-and-black captain explained.
NEXT CHALLENGE: LEYMA CORUÑA
In the upcoming round, Casademont travels to Galicia looking to claim its second away win of the season against one of the teams recently promoted to the division. "We have to play everyone with the same level of mentality and ambition, whether it is Valencia or A Coruña," Vives stressed, highlighting a crucial principle in order to "put Casademont back where we want it to be."
The red-and-black captain identified two keys for the game against a Coruña side averaging more than 100 points: pace and rebounding. "We are prepared for a game with a lot of possessions. We will have to play our game, focusing more on what we want rather than letting them drag us into their slightly more chaotic pace, which is what they want. Then there will be a battle on the boards, with more rebounds because there will be more shots," said Vives, who also underlined the importance of containing Alonzo Verge, who takes a large number of shots and is currently the ACB's leading scorer with an average of 22.5 points.
