Jordi Fernandez Torres (Badalona, 41 years old) was presented this Wednesday in Brooklyn as new head coach of the Nets and he has been delighted after receiving an opportunity that he has been pursuing for two decades since his first foray into the world of basketball in the United States. “It’s the beginning of a new chapter for me and my family. I have always thought that the next step in my career will be a great challenge, and what I liked most about coming to Brooklyn is Sean’s vision [Marks, General Manager de la franquicia] and joe [Tsai, propietario]”, declared the Catalan. These were his first official words as head of the New York team’s bench. “Everyone wants to win, but the focus here is trying to establish a winning culture and think about how to achieve sustained success over time,” he launched, showing his ambition right off the bat.
The coach from Badalona, who highlighted his roots as a key element of his identity and person, has released another brilliant compliment to his origins and the world cradle of basketball that represents his city of birth. “It is an honor to be able to represent Spanish, Catalan and Badalona basketball, but this is just the first step, and then there will be more,” he stated. “I hope to show the young coaches that There is always a way, an opportunity. I have been fortunate, of course, but above all I have dedicated myself to enjoying the journey,” he added.
Fernández was presented at the Nets’ shiny training center, opened in 2016 on the Hudson River and about five kilometers from the Barclays Center, the spectacular coliseum where the coach posed for the first time in his new colors. In the front line were his wife Kelsey and his children Luna and Bowie, who have lived with some anguish the month of uncertainty and waiting that his final landing in New York has required. “I do this for my family, I couldn’t do it without them. Without your love, I wouldn’t be able to be where I am.”the coach remembered, meticulous on the board and also in life.
His method focused on organizing and facilitating the work of others has enchanted the Nets’ senior staff since the first interview of the long and twisted selection process, not by far the first in which the coach has been involved, who He had been dreaming of the position for years. “His players and other league executives and staff have always spoken highly of Jordi. when we contacted them to obtain their opinion during the process,” he explained Sean Marks, GM of the team. “For us it was quite clear from the beginning, since It has very positive intangibles. For example, he is very good at relating to players, he knows how to appreciate and create a special bond with his pupils,” the executive praised him.
Estate
His declaration of love to Badalona
“It is one of the best basketball cities in the world”
Asked about his origins, and his status as a pioneer as a Spanish and European coach in the American league, Jordi Fernández said he did not feel any pressure. “I don’t feel much pressure, rather it is an honor to represent home basketball. I will always be proud of my roots,” declared the Badalona coach.
Then he praised what was his hometown and training on and off the court: “It is one of the best basketball cities in Europe, in the world. You can feel and experience basketball on the street. There I became passionate about this game, first as a player, although I was never very good, I had a great time. I owe a lot to my city, and my parents, sister and grandmother are there. It’s my home and I will always come back.”
Fernandez accounts with more than 15 years of experience in the NBA, but he has never given up on any challenge on his patient path to success. “Jordi’s internationalism is unparalleled, has never skipped any stop in its growth process”Marks applauded him. “He has a great network of people around the world who help him when he has questions or seeks advice, and having trained at all levels, representing a country in the Olympic Games as he will do this summer, are experiences that have helped him get to where he is. here”, concluded one of his great supporters within the new project on the opposite bank of Manhattan.
Thanks to Scariolo and his parents on the bench
The player from Badalona, in fact, wanted to thank all the people who have collaborated in his historic milestone on the benches of the American league. “I want to have words of gratitude for my basketball parents, Mike Brown in the United States and Sergio Sacariolo in Europe. Also for Byron Scott, David Blatt, Ty Lue, Michael Malone and Steve Hetsel. They and everyone with whom I have shared a slate throughout my life have behaved wonderfully with me,” the coach stressed.
During his presentation, which lasted half an hour, Fernández presented the pillars of the winning philosophy that he wants to implement in Brooklyn. “We want to have a competitive team on both sides. An altruistic and connected team, where they trust each other,” he pointed out. “Coaches are teachers.”, and for me that is key. “If the players don’t improve, it’s up to me and the rest of the coaching staff,” he took responsibility as soon as he took office. His idea is to think in the medium and long term, aware that in the NBA the results must be seen soon: “We want to see results immediately, because this business is like that. We will see how much we rise, but the important thing for me is to really believe in collective success ahead of individual success.”
As an example of his underlying ideology, the Catalan presented his own example. “Without the opportunity to coach Canada I would not be here today. Without the successes in Sacramento either, and it is clear that those merits are not just my thing,” he explained. “In 2017, Sergio (Scariolo) allowed me to be his main assistant with Spain, with a team that made history at the national team level,” he added. The list of worthy and beneficial stops for the coach is endless, but the background is the same.
“Individual success always comes thanks to collective success.””, he stressed once again before concluding his debut. With a degree in Sports Sciences and one academic article away from obtaining his doctorate in Psychology, Fernández showed right off the bat that he is a great group motivator. For him, everything responds to his life experience and training over years and years searching for a dream that he now sees as one more step towards a goal that is never definitive. Jordi Fernández has made history, but he wants even more. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be himself.
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2024-04-24 17:28:11
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