BadalonaAíto García Reneses has returned to the Joventut de Badalona to work with young people in the nursery. According to Televisió de Badalona, the legendary 74-year-old coach trains two days a week Zsombor Maronka, Miguel Malik Allen, Yannick Kraag, Adrià Domènech, Rubén Prey and Kriss Helmanis, six of the most promising promises, on the tracks annexes of the Olympic Palace.
Aíto, who had decided to take a sabbatical year, coached the Peña for two stages: from 1983 to 1985 and from 2003 to 2008. The current Youth Coach, Carles Duran, is one of his great disciples. The last team of the Madrid coach was the Dawn of Berlin. “We would have liked Aíto to have stayed with us longer, because he is a genius, but we are happy with the change of coach. Israel González allows us to reinforce the philosophy of betting on young players to take on responsibilities. He has been an assistant for many years and is ready to become a head coach. He is a coach with a lot of ability that will allow us to continue with the style of play and the sports structure of the last years “, said Himar Ojeda, the sports director of the German team, in an interview with ARA.
“We managed to keep him with us for a four-year cycle, even though he was doing two-year periods lately, but last season was very tough, with a very tight schedule and many weeks with three games. The energy with which you grab each workout is amazing, and I wanted to rest. I hope that when he decides what he wants to do next season, we see ourselves in a commitment “, added Ojeda.
When Aíto announced that he would not take the bench at the Dawn of Berlin on August 17, most teams already had a coach and the Madrid player did not receive any offers. “I want to spend some time in Berlin after four years. Especially after the last season, with 90 games, sometimes four a week, and a lot of bad flights, because during the pandemic there were fewer of them and the connections we had to make to the airports were terrible. I want to put the situation back on track and we’ll see what happens next, “said Aito. The last time the coach took a sabbatical he spent a few weeks working with the Estudiantes youth team.
Personal training, key
A pioneer in implementing tactics and working methods, Aíto is clear about the perfect combination. “The success of the generation of players like the Gasol and Navarro brothers is that they have the basics and are smart. Repetitions are necessary, but it is essential to combine the training of the player with that of the person. It is important for young people to be trained as students, because the development of the mind cannot be achieved with basketball alone. The ability to understand facilitates any learning. What makes the difference is choosing from the 1,000 situations in the game. We need to teach when and how to do things, ”he says. The coach, who is in love with math problems and photography, recommended that Edy Tavares go sudoku and nurtured Xavi Fernández’s passion for chess.
“Learning is not just a stage, it is a lifetime. You can learn from other coaches, but also from the players. It’s an attitude. I was born a coach, and when I played I spent all day thinking about the game “, says Aíto. The coach is taking advantage of his current situation to watch many matches, both live and on television. “One of the problems of today’s basketball is that players are too used to making systems, when the most important thing is to get them to be able to read the game,” he warns.
Commit to innovation
The Madrid coach is in love with any innovation. “In today’s basketball, the defenses are more aggressive and, therefore, time is an increasingly important aspect. Basketball can be more spectacular if played at a higher speed. The change in rules, such as the application of the original spirit of unsportsmanlike conduct, can help, but the weight of the former referees should not be so great when it comes to rethinking the rules. The style of European basketball needs to be smart and fast, ”said the coach.small ball, a very fashionable tactic in the NBA that bets on the game without pivots. “We have to protect the inside game because we have lost a lot of wealth in the game. Basketball needs to be more complete and direct blocking cannot monopolize everything, ”said Aíto, who called for combining the results with the continuous progression of the players.
.
