Jose Neto Has Been Fired by Petro de Luanda

Petro de Luanda Parts Ways with Jose Neto

Following a lukewarm performance, with a 2-2 record during the regular season of the Kalahari Conference in the 2024 Basketball Africa League, Angolan champs Petro de Luanda has decided to part ways with Brazilian-born head coach José Neto.

Amidst Petro's tumultuous run in the 2024 Basketball Africa League, Jose Neto, currently the head coach of the Brazilian women's national team, faced intense scrutiny. Rumours surfaced from within the Petro de Luanda camp, suggesting to strained relationships with multiple players on the squad and the team's front office.

Tensions arose within Petro de Luanda's management in the lead-up to the Kalahari Conference in the 2024 Basketball Africa League, as José Neto found himself at odds with the front office during the recruitment phase. Disagreements over player signings left Neto, a former BAL Coach of the Year, feeling frustrated as he struggled to secure players who best suited his strategic vision for the team.

In addition to their defeat against FUS Rabat, Petro de Luanda's 82-73 loss on the opening day of the 2024 Basketball Africa League shed light on internal tensions within the team. Several players expressed frustration over what they perceived as underutilising key squad members during the game. This sentiment had been brewing since the previous season's BAL campaign, indicating deeper-rooted issues within the club.

While Petro de Luanda's decision to part ways with head coach Jose Neto may have surprised some in the basketball community, others saw it coming. While Petro de Luanda has maintained a consistent presence in the top four of the BAL for the past three seasons, their performances have shown signs of decline in recent years.

After finishing as runners-up in 2022, they slipped to fourth place in the 2023 season. This downward trend started to raise questions about the team's ability to maintain their previous level of success in the league, let alone win the Basketball Africa League Championship.

Furthermore, the team's 84-78 loss to the Cape Town Tigers on their final day of the regular season raised additional concerns. The defeat left many fans, analysts, and critics aback, prompting speculation about the now-former head coach's future with the club.

During the post-game press conference, Neto took full responsibility for the team's performance:

"They we hungrier than [us]... I'm responsible. [This] is the first two times that we lost two games in the conference. This is the first time that we did not prepare better to be here."

Watch Full Post-Game Press Conference Below:

Although unconfirmed, many believe that Angolan play caller Raúl Duarte will take over from José Neto. Duarte had two head coaching stints with rival club Interclube and previously served as Petro's head coach from 2002-2005.