Coming off his team's first win in Group B, 20-year-old point guard Hugo Benitez talks about his and Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse's aspirations for the rest of the season – and beyond.
Hugo Benitez, Bourg: 'We can beat anybody'
Interviews
7 Mins read
Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse started the 7DAYS EuroCup season with a couple of losses in Group B but bounced back in style by downing Promitheas Patras 92-62 in Round 3. Despite being without C.J. Harris and JaCorey Williams, Bourg had six players in double digits, finishing the game with 23 assists and 4 turnovers. One of its double-digit scorers was playmaker Hugo Benitez, who is taking giant steps to become one of the best point guards in the competition. At age 20, Benitez is doing a little bit of everything for Bourg, averaging 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals for a PIR of 13.0 in becoming an early candidate for this season's EuroCup Rising Star Trophy. Against Promitheas, Benitez had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a PIR of 17. Benitez believes that seeing a lot of playing time at such young age is critical for his development. "My goal is to improve as fast as possible, and I think that the best way to improve my game is to be on the court, to make mistakes on the court, to just play," Benitez told EuroCupBasketball.com. "For me, it is very important to play, not just seeing how my teammates play, but being on the court and leading the team if I can."
Hello, Hugo. Congratulations on Bourg's first win and a great performance. How much did the team need that first win to gain confidence?
"Thanks. We needed this win because we had lost five games in a row before this game, three in the French championship and two in the EuroCup. So we needed confidence. We know that if we want to go to the next level, we need to win games in the EuroCup. We had to win this game."
Bourg had six scorers in double digits, 23 assists and just 4 turnovers. How important is it for the team to see that any player can have a great scoring night?
"It is very important because we have our leaders, like Axel Julien and Rasheed Sulaimon, but it is very important that every player can be dangerous. If we have two or three players who play well, the team follows. Danger can come from any player, as we know. We have a team in which every night, one player can have a good game. And the next night, it can be another guy."
"My goal is to improve as fast as possible."
At age 20, you are seeing more and more playing time. How important is it for a young player to be on the court a lot?
"My goal is to improve as fast as possible, and I think that the best way to improve my game is to be on the court, to make mistakes on the court, to just play. For me, it is very important to play, not just seeing how my teammates play, but being on the court and leading the team if I can. I know we've got injured players like C.J. Harris, or Maxime Courby before, but it is important for me to be on the court."
This is your second EuroCup season. What's the best part of it?
"I like the competition. It is the second competition in Europe and we play against very good teams, very good players. Last season, I played against Milos Teodosic, and at age 20, that was very good for me. I can improve a lot this year, too. We will play against big teams and big players. Each game is tough, so like I said, it is very good for me because I want to improve as fast as possible."
What's your opinion about the new format?
"It is very good. We will play at least 18 games, hopefully, more! If we make it to the win-or-go-home games, it will be very good, very exciting. It could be good for us. This is why we play."
You arrived in Bourg-en-Bresse at age 15. Why did you choose Bourg and how difficult was it to be away from home?
"I wanted to go to Bourg because they don't think like all the clubs in France. All the clubs here want to have physical players but Bourg prefers the smartest guys and I think this is good for me. When I came to Bourg, I was very small, not like today. I was skinny, but after that, I grew up. So it is good for me to come to Bourg because they taught me how to be a professional and how to think about the game. Bourg has a school for point guards and shooting guards. It is different than other clubs. And also, I have family close to Bourg, 90 minutes away, so on the weekends, I went to my grandparents' place and spent time with them."
We read that FC Barcelona is your favorite team and Ricky Rubio is your favorite player. What do you like the most about Ricky?
"I am a Catalan. I come from Perpignan. I was born there, which is less than a two-hour drive to Barcelona. I am a huge FC Barcelona fan. I love Ricky Rubio and the way he plays the game, how he makes his teammates better. He always wants to find the best solution, not just to score the ball, but to find what is the best solution for the team – an assist, scoring, driving. He also plays defense. He is a big inspiration for me and my favorite player. My biggest dream is to win the EuroLeague with Barcelona!"
"My biggest dream is to win the EuroLeague with Barcelona."
Speaking of Spanish teams, you will visit Gran Canaria and Valencia next. How big a test will they be for Bourg?
"This is why we had to win the last game, because we have two big games on the road. We know they are big teams and it will be a big test for us, to see how we play and if we have our confidence back. Each game is tough in the EuroCup, so we have to go out there and try to win it. We have to play a good basketball game and see what happens. I think that if we play well, we can beat anybody, so I hope we play well."
Next week, you play against one of the best French point guards, Andrew Albicy. Are you looking forward to this matchup?
"We don't know each other. I mean, I know him, but I don't know if he knows me. Still, there are no easy games to play in the EuroCup. Each team has a great point guard and the fact that he is French doesn't make any difference. He is just an opponent and I know he will be tough. He is a good defender, and maybe one of the best point guards in the EuroCup. It will be tough but like I said, every time is tough."
You just set new career-highs in points (12), rebounds (7) and PIR (17). What would you consider a good season for you, personally, and for Bourg?
"Personally, I don't have a goal, just to go game by game and improve as fast as possible, show everybody that I can be a very good player at this level. I just want to improve day after day, practice after practice, game after game, and show everybody that I can play against any point guard in this competition. As a team, in EuroCup, I hope we will go to the next round, the win-or-go-home games. It will be fun to play these games. We have to go game by game, because we know how many good teams we will face, and see what happens. We have to go to each game to win it."