Morais feels the BAL title is still within his and Petro’s grasp
(KIGALI) Carlos Morais and Petro de Luanda are names synonymous with some of the best basketball on the continent. The veteran guard has had a legendary career spanning over 23 years, and a huge trophy haul.
Despite their impressive achievements, Morais and Petro have yet to add the BAL trophy to their collection. However, this could change as Petro gears up to compete against Al Ahly Benghazi in the highly anticipated BAL final on Saturday.
Leading up to the finals, The Big Tip Off interviewed the Angolan legend and team captain, Morais. The former Angolan international discussed his evolving role at Petro and what it would be like to win the championship ahead of the big game.
Ahead of the Kalahari Conference, Petro set themselves the goal of reaching the final. While achieving this goal has been satisfying, the journey has been challenging.
“It feels great because our main goal was to be in the finals. The season didn’t start in the way we wanted, we lost a few games down the road, but I’m happy we accomplished the main goal.”
Petro suffered three defeats this season. Their losses to FUS Rabat and Cape Town Tigers during the Kalahari Conference were because of a lack of preparation. Petro also struggled to find their identity on both ends of the floor. As a result, they resembled a shell of the strong team they once knew. The third loss was a buzzer-beater during the seeding games against US Monastir. Since then, Petro has made adjustments and overcome their slump, but the same cannot said of Morais, who has also had some struggles this season.
Morais has been a key player for Petro every year, averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game last season. However, his average has dropped this season. Morais averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. He has also come off the bench in recent games, forming part of the second unit. This transition was unexpected for Morais, but he embraces it as his team competes for the title.
“I think everybody knows the type of player I am, and coming into this season, my goal was to play and contribute and help my team reach this goal, which is to be in the finals. Unfortunately, I’m not playing much at this point. But, you know, I can only control what I can control.” said Morais.
Petro has managed the changes well. At the beginning of the season, the team struggled to come up with an answer without Carlos. However, now every player is able and willing to take up the responsibility on any given night. Childe Dundao’s 25-point performance against FUS da Rabat in the Kalahari conference was evidence of this. Most recently, Nicholas Faust’s 23-point performance in the semi-finals also proved a new sense of accountability that has engulfed the Angolan club.
“I think the good thing about it is that this is a team sport. Somebody else had to step up, somebody else is doing what I can’t at this point. And, you know, I’m happy that we’re about to play another final.”
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However, Morais has continued to lead and motivate his teammates from the bench during the intense and unpredictable competition in Kigali. Aside from sharpening their tactics, Morais believes that the key to their new cohesion has been embracing a different side of the game – playing with heart.
“I believe basketball has to be played with heart. And we’ve shown that we have a big heart, like in the game against AS Douanes, we were down 20 in the fourth quarter but we came back because we showed everybody the heart that we have, also just staying together as a team.”
Reflecting on their loss to US Monastir in the 2022 final, Morais recalls areas of their game that needed to be improved on, for their fate to change this time around.
“Playing better defence and maintaining our high energy. Playing with high energy is one of the identities of our team. Every time we play with this energy, we always succeed. Just like when we play defence, I mean, it’s almost everything you can ask for when you talk about Petro Because then everything else is gonna come.”
With the immediate prospect of finally clinching a title tonight, Morais and Petro know what they need to do to execute their final task.
“I know my goal, everybody knows what my goal is. At this point in my career, I want to win. I want to win a trophy. I want to get the trophy. And I understand that every year, the battle is getting harder and harder. So I feel like this year, we have a great chance. So my goal is to win this year,” said Morais.
Despite facing challenges this season, Morais is looking ahead and is ready to continue competing and building his legacy. While his time on the court may soon come to an end, he feels at this point he still has much to give.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be back at the BAL. Everybody knows I’m 38 years old and a lot of people think that I’m about to end my career. But I still have a lot of gas in the tank. So I’m going to continue to play a few more years,” concluded Morais.
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