By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
LILLE, France – Last year, Jordi Fernandez made the impossible reality by kicking Spain out of contention from the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Imagine how huge would have been to repeat the exploit at the Olympic Games. Well, he did that too.
Surviving the must-needed Spanish comeback in the final stretch of the encounter, the Canadian national team won three out of three clashes in the “Group of Death”, eliminating Sergio Scariolo’s team and advancing as first in Group A, followed by Australia and Greece.
Feeling “more Canadian than any other Canadian” and “a person that will fight” for his club, “which right now is Canada basketball” going up against his home country, he made sure his national team got the job done.
Stopping by at the mixed zone after the victory in Lille, the newest Brooklyn Nets head coach praised their opponents’ program. “We’ve seen throughout the years and all the success this program has had, a team that fights until the end, a team that will show every single trick, zones, boxes and ones, everything, ball pressure, execution, and I think they did an amazing job”, he opened.
Most importantly, this elimination doesn’t say anything about Spain’s competitiveness in the future. “You see players like Santi Aldama and all the younger ones who aren’t here yet. All those guys who I coached when they were 18-19 years old. I think this program will do what they do: they compete, they play the right way, they’re organized and well-coached”, Jordi Fernandez continued.
“There’s no Marc or Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos [Navarro], Rudy [Fernandez], Ricky [Rubio], [José] Calderon. But there are these other guys. If you think about it, they deserve a lot of credit because they do things the right way. It’s not the end of anything, it’s just the continuation. They do a great job”, the Canadian national team’s head coach kept on praising his countrymen.
Celebrating Rudy Fernandez and Dillon Brooks
Talking about Spanish players who made history, yesterday everybody witnessed Rudy Fernandez’s last-ever professional basketball game, saying goodbye to the sport after concluding his 6th Olympics.
“I’ve known Rudy [Fernandez] since he was 17-18 years old. I have a lot of respect for him. It’s an honor to just not get to know him but also to witness his career and his legacy”, Canada’s head coach started.
“A person who has played in six Olympics as a basketball player. I don’t know who’s gonna be the next person who’s gonna accomplish that or pass that. He made me enjoy basketball for many many many years starting in my hometown and in my home team”, Jordi Fernandez continued.
Dillon Brooks won’t be able to accomplish everything that Rudy Fernandez has collected, but Jordi Fernandez still expressed his greatest respect for one of his players, already vital for Canada to win the bronze medal at last year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup, beating Team USA.
“He’s a special person, he’s a fighter and sets the tone for everybody else. We’re very fortunate to have him, it means the world for him to play for Canada. He’s been amazing with his role, what he means for the group, his toughness, and his leadership on the defensive end. He’s also been very productive in offense. We’re all very happy to have Dillon Brooks. If I could, I’d have him on my team for the rest of my life.”, he commented.
Finally, the 41-year-old head coach looked optimistic towards the next stage, entering the knockout rounds. “Being 3-0, it’s a great accomplishment. So we all have to be happy. At the same time, I want to be better as a group. I want to close games better and that’s something we’ll figure out at some point”, he said.
“We’ve played with a Game-7 mentality because we played the toughest pool in the Olympics. We’re more prepared than other teams who probably had big leads. We haven’t had those big leads, and even at times when we had them, these teams were so competitive that came back. I like where we’re at. This Group of Death will help us be more prepared for the Quarter-Finals”, Jordi Fernandez followed.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA Basketball