By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – Canada is in the semifinals of the FIBA World Cup and the sky seems to be the limit.
“Congratulations to those guys, they made history. This is the best position Canada had ever on a FIBA World Cup”, said coach Jordi Fernandez. “Those guys executed on a high level, it was extremely important to finish possessions. We did it for 40 minutes. So congratulations to those guys”.
RJ Barret added: “It feels great because we did it as a unit”.
And ultimately that’s the key for Canada. After having talent for many years, they finally got a unit that came to the World Cup to compete.
Speaking about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and being asked about him delivering a 30-point performance when it’s needed the most, Fernandez had one more chance to explain that this is about the team: “Everybody sees Shai’s points, which is good, but led the game with 10 rebounds, he dished four assists and got only one turnover. So that’s even more important. It’s his job and I think our guys all did their roles at a high level. This team is relentless. We showed in Jakarta and we are showing here too”.
So what’s the next step? For Barrett is simple: “The next step is getting rest, watching film, and getting ready for the next game. I watched a bit the last game of Serbia against Lithuania and one of my high school teammates Filip Petrusev is on the team, so it would be fun to play against him”.
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For Fernandez, a Spaniard, Serbia is not a very well-known quantity but he believes in his team: “Serbia has one of the best European coaches, coach Pesic, who won the first EuroLeague of Barcelona in 2003, they have great FIBA experience, and we are just getting this experience. However, every time we step on the court we get better. And when we play Serbia we will be better than today”.
And of course, speaking about his players the Spanish coach didn’t forget to compliment Brooks unintentionally answering what Doncic said about the way the game was called: “I think Dillon Brooks and Lu Dort are the best perimeter defenders in this competition. Today, it was a defensive clinic, leading with his chest, showing his hands, and pressuring full court. And if you don’t think that way, you don’t like basketball.”
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA