The Missing Guidance: Argentine Basketball and the Absence of Rubén Magnano

The Obras Sanitarias boys had just won their first game in Córdoba of the U17 Federal Formative League. Two days later they became national champions. But on that opening day at the Francisco Giorgetti stadium in Matienzo, on Friday, September 29, they were celebrating in the locker room and on the way, one of them discovered that sitting on the side of the field was, like another spectator, Rubén Magnano . He told some of his companions, who timidly looked out to see him. Some “dared” to greet him.

“A pleasure, Rubén,” said Ferro’s 9, Camilo Rodríguez, also on the way to the locker room. And some teammates joined one of the figures who had the decisive home run, played over the weekend in Córdoba. Boys 17 years old and younger, recognizing the best coach in the history of basketball in our country.

For the local boys, from Matienzo, it is more common to see the coach who led the Argentine team to maximum glory, with the conquest of the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. The Córdoban coach is a “neighbor” and usually arrives to watch the games, and he even gave them some talks and also participated in some practices. A luxury.

A luxury that Argentine basketball is missing. Magnano ended his contract with Uruguay last year and is “free.” It is not about being called to lead the Argentine team, which has Pablo Prigioni as coach, but why not ask him for advice, some guidelines. A guide.

The national team was left out of the 2023 World Cup this year (it had not missed the World Cup event since 1982) and was also left without a chance to play in the Pre-Olympics that will qualify the last teams to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (always present precisely since Athens 2004 ).

The team, faced with eliminations, accelerated the replacement process, but being left out of the World Cup was a major failure for our basketball, which until not long ago, was an example in the region. Without fear of the word failure, Prigioni and captain Facundo Campazzo assumed it. Not so the leadership.

It is true that Argentina is not a power in the world, despite its great achievements (in addition to the Olympic gold, the bronze in Beijing 2008, and the two world runners-up in 2002 and 2019), but it has great talents. One of them is Rubén Magnano, but Argentine basketball is missing out.

2023-10-02 21:16:08
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