SAN JUAN (2015 FIBA Americas Championship) - Brazil playmaker Vitor Benite is confident he can repeat the good performances he had at the Pan American Games when the FIBA Americas Championship tips off on Monday.

The Sao Paulo native knows he is going through a great year personally and assures with conviction that he is willing to establish himself in the select group of the best players of his country.

After his display in Toronto - where he led Brazil in scoring with 18.2 points and shot 53 percent from three-point range as they claimed the title over hosts Canada - and before he begins his European experience with Spanish side Murcia, Benite looks to put up another good showing at the continental championship in Mexico (31 August-12 September).

"I needed a good performance like the one I had in Toronto. I had been searching for one for a long time," he said.

"Last year I had the opportunity at the South American Championship, but I was not well physically, coming off a knee injury.

I played like I always wanted, I felt confident and managed my role and the good performances I wanted. Benite

"At the Pan Am Games it was very different because I was good mentally, after a good season with Flamengo," said the 1.90m guard.

Benite is quick to point out that, beyond his effort and virtues, there is another key reason for the good run of form he's enjoyed with the national team.

I was appointed captain and I felt supported. - Benite

"The coaching staff led by [Ruben] Magnano, has given me great support. They relied heavily on me and things got much easier. I played my game and performed much better," he explained.

And while things are going well for him, the native of Jundiaihe does not forget the bad times. Like the start of the 2013-14 season, when he suffered ligament tear in his knee that kept him inactive for several months.

"I was not scared about my future, but I needed a lot of patience and effort to play again," said the Brazilian league champion with Flamengo.

"All that work is beginning to pay off now and in some ways I feel better than before the injury."

Despite being only 25 years old, Benite has played for the senior national team for five years already.

Like any player who has high ambitions, he fully intends on continuing to evolve and get better.

"I must improve my vision of the game, read each attack better, pass the ball to an open player," he self-assessed.

"In addition, you can always improve on defense. In the Olympic qualifiers I hope to keep my performance level [high].

"I feel that I still have to live up to the leading figures of Brazil, including those in the NBA, but I feel I'm on the right path."

Benite played at the 2011 and 2013 editions of the FIBA Americas Championships, where Brazil got contrasting results.

This year, without the pressure of having to qualify for the Olympics, he  knows it's an excellent opportunity for him to consolidate his place in the national team.

"We're going to the FIBA Americas Championship intending on justifying what we showed at the Pan Am Games," he said.

"We will defend Brazilian basketball. I want to see myself at Rio 2016."

Go to fiba.com/Americas2015 for full coverage of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship. 

FIBA