By Alex Madrid/ info@eurohoops.net
BELGRADE — According to the Sergio Scariolo, it’s only natural for any basketball coach to be present in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for a number of reasons: “I came to the Final Four to see the Spanish players, especially the U18, considering that we all know the seniors. But you always wanna watch good basketball. It is also one of the best opportunities for professional updating“.
Real Madrid’s star Sergio Llull was injured playing under Scariolo in a prep game last August. The Italian coach is not surprised by the fact that not only Llull returned to action, but he is ready to go: “Llull has a solid return. I knew from the contact we have that he would return when he was really good. He had the right patience and also the awareness that he won’t reach his best historical level, but he is already there to help, as you have seen in the games he has played. Of course, a player with his capacity for work, with his toughness, with his mentality, with his love and passion for the game, it isn’t weird for us that he has had such an effective recovery“.
Will Llull be part also of the national team? Which players will be called especially from the EuroLeague teams and the NBA? “We are still thinking. The competitions aren’t over and we will have to prove the availability of the players, taking different principles. There is a lot of availability but you also have to see how the season ends because some players will finish very close to the windows. There is still a lot of time and information to collect“.
Coach Scariolo also addressed the reports which are linking him with Virtus Bologna: “It is possible to coach a club and a national team, but that doesn’t mean that I have made any decision. It is always good to be in consideration in different environments but I haven’t made a decision. At this point, the only reality is the contract that joins me to the Spanish national team“.
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