“We have done a good job in reducing the physical deficit”

MADRID, 4 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The national basketball coach, Sergio Scariolo, highlighted the “good work” and the “effort” made by Spain, especially the older players, to reduce the “physical deficit” against Angola this Wednesday and advance in the Pre-Olympic tournament in Valencia with their second victory.

“I’m happy, it was a very difficult team, very physical. There has been no tactical change, it’s not a tactical issue, it’s a physical and athletic issue. If you’re stronger and jump more, you have a good chance of being able to play with impact above the rim and with forcefulness. It was a superior effort from the players, they gave what they had. We helped each other,” he said in a press conference.

“The big four have done a good job and understood that they had to raise the bar a little in terms of contact, in terms of anticipation. The difference in rebounding was acceptable, considering the great physical difference between the two teams,” she added, after the second victory to advance to the semi-finals as first in Group A.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s match against Finland or Poland, Scariolo said that the day of rest will be good, although he sees his team in good physical condition. “I hope well, we have a day to rest. We have been good. We have a deficit, in terms of morphology. Given that deficit, we have done everything possible, in general, a good job to reduce that deficit, obviously we have technical superiority, offensive quality, and then, globally, we have tried hard to fill that gap that separated us,” he said, without yet seeing the return from injury of Juancho Hernangómez.

On the other hand, Scariolo was asked about his 200 matches as Spain’s national coach. “It’s a source of pride. Many matches, luckily many victories. I’ve learned a lot, it’s been a fantastic experience, we’ve won many titles and medals, but at the same time, above all, we’ve been able to establish human relationships with fantastic people. That’s what I’m most proud of. It was important to celebrate it with a victory,” he confessed.

Alongside the Italian coach, Santi Aldama also appeared at a press conference at La Fonteta, highlighting a team with “more connection” than last year. “It’s about winning all the remaining matches and we’re all with the same objective,” he said, also speaking of the “physical” level of the Africans, who knew how to contain “with room for improvement” to find “the way to win, which was the important thing.”

2024-07-03 22:14:07
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