The concerns of the coach of the National Basketball Team prior to the tie heading to the 2023 World Cup

Puerto Rican David Rosario defines himself as a serious, responsible and demanding coach. The coach likes challenges and that is why he accepted, last February, to lead the National Basketball Team for the elimination process towards the 2023 World Cup, which will take place in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. After overcoming the first round in El Salvador without major complications, Rosario is concerned, not only about his next rivals, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia, but also about the uneven preparation process of the Pinola troop.

The National Team culminated this Saturday the seventh week of training at the Alexis Argüello Sports Center, in Managua. Rosario has had to deal with several inconveniences during the preparation process, because not all the players have been present at practices. The absence of Norchad Omier and Jared Ruiz is due to the fact that they are out of the country, other players have been absent due to injury or due to commitments with their teams in the Carlos Ulloa Tournament. “I am concerned that I did not have the full team to train a few days before the start of the tournament,” said Rosario.

Another of the strategist’s concerns are the confirmed casualties of some players, who are key pieces in his scheme. “There are several players who will not travel to Chile, starting with Bartel López, since he is recovering from an operation on his knee and there is no player in the national team who can replace him. In the case of Jared Ruiz, I think he will not be able to travel (he is playing in Puerto Rico with the Mayagüez Indians). Those two casualties condition the team, because we lose the best defensive and offensive player. The other two players who will not make the trip are Larel Pacheco and Kerry Clair Omier due to injury, “added Rosario.

You can read: The best player of the National Basketball Team is in doubt for the tie for the 2023 World Cup

The sincerity of the coach

Likewise, Rosario sees little chance that the team will be able to overcome the second elimination round, in which Nicaragua will face teams with World Cup experience, in the case of Chileans and Paraguayans. “Chile and Paraguay are the favorites, there is no doubt about that, they not only surpass us in the world ranking, but also because of the way they have handled themselves in recent years. From the start we are at a disadvantage, since they have trained with a full squad and are teams of a better level, ”the coach emphasized.

Rosario reiterated what the Nicaraguan player must do to achieve transcendence in basketball and, therefore, raise the competitive rhythm of the national team. «The Nicaraguan player needs more time to prepare. There was a project to work with the National Team for a period of two years, the idea was to work with a group of young players, thinking about the Central American Games, which will be held in 2023. However, the elimination windows arose and that The project has not been executed well, ”said the Puerto Rican.

Tie details

In this second knockout stage, only two teams will advance to the third and final qualifying window. The event is scheduled to take place July 13-15; the matches will be played at the National Olympic Training Center in Santiago de Chile, Chile. If the National Team fails to advance to the third round, it will not have international participation until 2023 in the Central American Games.