Brazilian players, coach provide first take on Raul Neto's injury / News - Basketnews.com

Raul Neto's injury during Brazil's World Cup opener against Iran overshadowed Selecao's impressive win. Coach Gustavo de Conti and players Marcelinho Huertas and Bruno Caboclo gave contradicting views on how serious they think their teammate's setback has been.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Brazil got on the right foot in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, as they left Iran with much to be desired in a sweeping 100-59 win. However, Selecao's win was marred byRaul Neto 's injury.

Raul Neto

Position:PG, SGAge:31Height:184 cmWeight:88 kgBirth place:BrazilProfileNewsStatistics

Neto went down with 7:51 to go in the third quarter, and Brazil leading 62-25.

The injury occurred when Neto slipped and later collided with his opponent. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's off-season addition screamed in pain following the incident while his teammates were grabbing their heads. Marcelinho Huertas, the player closer to his injured teammate, was in agony.

While on the floor, Neto was holding his right knee. Brazil's medical staff then approached the player and carried him off the court on stretchers. The former NBA guard got to play only 15 minutes in what was an easy evening for the Brazilians in their premiere in the tournament.

Heading to the mixed zone, Brazilian players seemed rather calm given the apparent severity of Neto's injury. Coach Gustavo de Conti said he is still unable to provide any updates on how serious the injury is.

"I don't know about Raul. I will talk to the medical staff now, but I don't know," he told media in the mixed zone.

"We don't have a lot of information about Raul. We'll have to wait for the hospital exams to be able to say more about that," he repeated in the postgame presser a few minutes later.

On the other hand, two of his teammates gave contrasting views on the matter. Veteran guard Marcelinho Huertas was in shock when the incident happened and admitted that he was scared upon seeing his teammate down.

"I haven't been inside, we haven't spoken to the doctor, but it didn't look good out there," he said in the mixed zone.

"We don't have more news but it seems serious. We'll know more in a while. But it didn't look good," he stressed.

In contrast to Huertas, big man Bruno Caboclo didn't seem as worried as Huertas.

"That's very hurtful. He just came back from an injury," he told BasketNews in the mixed zone.

"He was very good, he came in a great shape and was helping us a lot. I hope it's nothing and he'll come back to us."

Commenting on how serious he thinks Neto's injury will be, Caboclo admitted he didn't have a clear view of the incident.

"I didn't really see very much," he said before reassuring that "the doctor was close and said everything was in place."

"That's what appeared on the court. Now we'll see," he concluded.

The Brazilian Federation later announced that the World Cup for Neto is over. The guard has ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee.

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