his way Spanish team in Eurobasket found her first hurdle in defeat by 73-83 over Belgium. A setback that resulted from a game in which Spain He was not at the level of competition necessary to face some Belgians who had an obligation to win.
Sergio Scariolo’s men collapsed at the last moment, just when victory was at stake. In the last three minutes of the game they conceded a 0-9 mid term which was decisive and ended his choices.
Spain had it in their hands in that third encounter to mathematically confirm their presence in the round of 16, but missed the chance. Fortunately, Turkey’s loss to Georgia has further condensed things in the country Group A and the Choice continues to depend on itself.
This is a complicated context for Sergio Scariolo’s team because although it is a time of renewal and growth, the team has an obligation to win. The margin for error is now minimal as one wrong step could jeopardize the rest of the tournament.
Losses and departures have left an unusual stamp on the National Team. With no clear references that can pull the car like in the past, the team’s main asset lies in this union and consistency, something that did not particularly shine against Belgium. Spain appeared in this Eurobasket with only 3 players with previous experience in this tournament: Rudy Fernandez, Willie and Juancho Hernangomez. And beyond specific contributions to the windows of others as well as the debut last year Ousmane Garouba and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui at the Olympic Games the National team learns by doing in Tbilisi.
“We have to learn from back-to-back games with less than 24 hours left. You go to bed late, get up and try to move more to prepare for the race and that’s learning.” commented Rudy Fernandez after the loss to Belgium. “There are many people who have no experience in this Eurobasket. As in the other aspects, we also have to learn and I continue to learn.”
A process in which regular load is just as important as attitude and continuous effort. Some intangibles that on the third day were conspicuous by their absence. Something he was well aware of Serge Scariolo.
“We can be a good team, but today we certainly weren’t”he said at a press conference. “We have to be humble again, knowing under what conditions we can be competitive.”
“Maybe it was a good reality check if we use it right, but that’s not the reality of our team”, continued the Italian. “We have a lot of players with little experience and these games are very necessary to learn how to improve concentration.”
The fact that they played two games in a row made a dent in the more inexperienced. Jaime Pradilla he went from 12 points in less than 15 minutes to just 3 at the same time, just like that Joel Parra (from 8 to 3 in 20′).
“Some players haven’t had those experiences.” Scariolo acknowledged. “They will learn that you have to get a lot of rest and prepare yourself mentally. There is no magic formula. It’s true that when you haven’t experienced something like this, you still need a slap in the face to learn.”
One day after the defeat, the national team is preparing for the crucial match it will have to face Montenegro. A win, again, would secure passage to the next stage, in addition to arriving with final day selections to lead the team.
Spain vs. Montenegro at EuroBasket 2022: day, time and where they are playing
- Next opponent: Montenegro
- Campus: Tbilisi (Georgia).
- Day: Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
- Time: 4:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m. in the Canary Islands)
- TV channels: Four
- flow: Courtside1891 and MiTele.es
