Inside The Bears

Baylor Basketball: Obi Agbim believes the team will be defined by how they choose to respond to loss by Brazil

After Team USA blew a 26-point lead to lose the gold, Obi Agbim believes this team is as close as ever.

Trent Knoop

Baylor Bears X Account

It looked like Team USA would cruise its way to a gold medal during the FISU World Championship Games. The first half on Saturday against Brazil in the finals belonged to the US -- so did the third quarter. Team USA found itself up 26 points with one quarter of action left. But a 35-13 fourth quarter by Brazil sent the game into overtime.

Team USA just didn't have the magic this time to regain the lead and fell to Brazil, 94-88, to place second and earn the silver medal.

Following the game, guard Obi Agbim -- who led Team USA with 30 points -- said Baylor can learn a lot more about itself by losing a game like this. It's about how the team chooses to respond to the adversity.

"You know, in games like this, I want to say you can learn a lot more from losing than winning in a game like that," Agbim said after the loss to Brazil. "And, you know, in the long term for us, it's really, really good -- just for us to learn from this and be able to have that experience in our bag.

"But, you know, it hurts. Just kind of, we flinched a little bit in the fourth and I feel like we got comfortable. And credit to Brazil for being able to keep their foot on the gas and really challenge us ---- overall have the higher outcome. But, you know, I just feel like we're going to be able to really be defined by the way that we bounce back from this type of loss."

In the final 10 minutes of the game, plus overtime, it appeared the US got complacent on both ends of the court. Being up 26 points, the team likely believed it had the game wrapped up, but Brazil wouldn't quit. Between corner 3s and USA turnovers, Brazil quickly got back into the game. Agbim credited Brazil's defense, but it was the self-inflicted wounds that hurt the US.

"I wouldn't say there was anything specific," said Agbim. "I would say it was more of ourselves like, you know, self-inflicted wounds, paper cuts, turning the ball over, not really running any sets on offense and, kind of just getting sped up and not playing to our pace. And I feel like this was our really like our first tournament playing with each other. So a lot of people are still learning and we're really going to have a really good opportunity to learn from this. But once again, credit to them for the way they defended."

Despite losing in a tough way, Agbim believes this is the closest a team can be with one another. There are several players who didn't make the trip to play with Team USA, but Agbim believes this opportunity will help Baylor when the college basketball season tips off.

"A hundred percent. I don't feel like I've been really this close with a team ever since high school just in this short amount of time," Agbim said of the chemistry. "We've only been with each other for about two months now and just, you know, spending all this time with each other, getting so close and experiencing this type of wins and losses. I feel like this is only going to make us gel even closer together and just prepare ourselves for the bigger goals in the long run."

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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