Q: What potential do you see in this group and what role have you played in putting it together?
A: Well, I think we are in an intermediate moment of generational change. It has already started a long time ago, but we still have a long way to go, there are two or three years left for it to be completed and the players we are incorporating can have an active role within the national team. Meanwhile our will is to compete and continue surprising as has happened in the World Cup or the European Championship in which, being in a moment of change, the results were far superior to expectations.
Q: How do you see Pradilla and Alocén for the future in the national team?
A: In this window I have taken advantage of the fact that the Euroleague players are now available and I wanted to give them priority to see them. In the case of Carlos, he unfortunately has not been able to participate for years and in the case of Pradilla he is already quite established within our project. There are years in which his preparation goes better, like in the European Championship and he can attend the final call, or others like the past, where he was a little worse and didn’t get in but, he’s ready.
Q: How did you incorporate Ricky after experiencing such a complicated process?
A: He has been progressing first without stopping training the physical part, progressively returning to basketball and then joining the training of a very demanding team like Barça and feeling prepared to respond to the call. Now we are seeing it quite well, obviously the pace of competition is only achieved by competing and there is still a long way to go. But the spirit, the spark, the joy in his game are there and above all the smile on his face, which is the most important thing.
Q: Have we become too accustomed to seeing the national team win everything?
A: We are very clear about what we have done, where we are and where we want to go. It is a fairly long-term journey, but at the same time we want to compete to the maximum, like last summer despite not achieving the prize of moving to the quarterfinals, which is the threshold that is proposed as an objective. But we did it the right way, with our heads held high, competing until the last minute and that’s the way to do it. When you can surprise, you happen and when you can’t, you fight until the end.
Ricky’s spirit, spark and, above all, his smile are still there, and that is the most important thing.
Q: What is it that keeps you sparked to continue at the top?
A: Well, improving what I have achieved is going to be very difficult but that is not the motivation. It is of course that I feel comfortable in the environment of the team and with the Federation. And secondly, because I am very excited about the challenge of carrying out this generational change without there being very big bumps as has happened to all the great teams when their best generation has already retired. Above all, try to link and unite this group of boys, who come from below with a lot of talent and room for growth and maturation. That they remain motivated and excited and also ensure that those who are now and still have a journey in the national team, know how to transfer to those who come what they have learned by keeping people like Rudy, Ricky, Llull in the group, who do not It is here but still active, which can be living testimonies of the values and way of competing that have made us so special.
Q: What differences do you see between training in a club and training in a national team?
A: I think that the timing of the competition is very similar, in the playoff in the case of the club and in competition with the national team. There is much more time with the clubs to adjust things, verify them, and the selection criteria is very different. One is basically economic and the other linked to the nationality of the players. This selection criterion can sometimes be the crux of the matter, because sometimes clubs also act in building component teams that are not always qualified to make those kinds of decisions. While in the national team, I personally have never had any pressure or conditioning that goes beyond the nationality of the players. The selections are free for the coach based on the criteria that I consider appropriate.
Q: How do you rate your time in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors?
A: I was in a fantastic franchise, we won a ring and it was an incredible experience, one that is never forgotten. There I found responsibility and autonomy within the team and I learned many things that help me on a daily basis with a club more than with a national team, but certainly very useful.
Q: What are the main differences between American and European basketball?
A: There are many nuances, for example there are parties there that do not have too much weight and here there are very few that are like that. Furthermore, the level of talent is extremely higher, but it is more complicated to play here because the contact tolerance and defensive rules make life more difficult for attackers, more so than in the NBA. There are many differences.
Q: How do you feel about returning to a city like Zaragoza, where you won the Copa del Rey as coach of Unicaja de Málaga in the 2005 edition?
A: The memories are above all of the atmosphere, an expert audience with a basketball culture capable of supporting the team, filling the pavilion and generating a great atmosphere. The memories are positive regardless of the results, because I also remember a defeat we had against Poland, it was not all about winning, but in any case there has always been a great atmosphere around the team in Zaragoza.
Q: What is the most exciting moment you have experienced as a coach?
A: There have been many, we have won many titles, many Olympic medals, it is very difficult to choose one. I am left with the sensations of closeness, cohesion, of great unity that this team has always transmitted to those within and the example that it has been.
Our values have led us to be the best team in the history of Spanish sport
Q: Do you think that the value of family and unity is the most important in the selection?
A: There are a few values that certainly make it special and surely different from a team in the literal sense of the word, a group that brings together the best, because that is not the case. We make teams based on what we think can constitute a cohesive, altruistic group and not necessarily based on the top scorers or top scorers, it is not a statistical issue. There are a series of important values that are within the team and we have to defend them and they are always in danger when something happens that does not make us forget why we have been the best team in the history of Spanish sport of all sports. Thanks to the amount of talent, but also to principles and moral values that have surely been at least as important when it comes to achieving all these titles.
2024-02-21 16:48:47
#Sergio #Scariolo #Ricky #Rubio #long
