The brand new continental champion shares her unexpected title won in the Eurobasket at the WiZink Center in Madrid with thousands of fans
La Familia, as the Spanish basketball team is known, celebrated “a fantastic sporting history” with fans this Monday at the WiZink Center in Madrid. This is how Sergio Scariolo described it, the day after leading Spain to capture its fourth continental title in the last six editions of the Eurobasket. The national coach was the first to go out to greet the thousands of fans, the vast majority of them young people who look at themselves in the mirror of the new and unexpected champions, who join their idols in a competition that will test the generational change in Spain. suggested.
“We have done our job well, with a great competitive spirit,” congratulated the Italian coach, at the head of a team that without the players of the recent glorious era and with seven debutants has amazed the world in a championship in which Spain started as eighth favorite in the forecasts. “We started in 8th place and finished in 1st place. That happens with great rarity, but from time to time it happens,” stated Scariolo, proud to lead players “who are able to compete to levels that are only very little to achieve”. “Others may have more status or ability, but the ability to do things as a team and compete to where you couldn’t is already part of our nature and way of being,” said the coach, who is one of the leaders. received big ovations. In the afternoon by some followers who wanted to party, although the party lasted no more than an hour. Among the players, one of the most acclaimed was Willy Hernangómez, who shouted “MVP, MVP!” After being rightly recognized as a center from Madrid, thanks to his excellent performance and regularity, he called the best player in the Eurobasket.
After Scariolo and before the oldest of the Hernangómez, spoke the captain, Rudy Fernández, who appeared with the cup won in the Berlin final against France to place it along with the other three corresponding to the Eurobaskets of 2009, 2011 and 2015. with the Balearic player in the national team and with Scariolo at the helm. Rudy had words of thanks, firstly to all the assistants of the team, secondly to Scariolo and finally to his teammates. “To every one of these guys who made me believe we could achieve it. They made me enjoy like I was a 20-year-old boy,” said Rudy, who at the age of 37 has already matched the 11 medals that Pau Gasol has won with the national team.
«Again we are all European champions! Do you remember Will Smith’s movie ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’? If the father says to his son, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. If you want something, go for it, period. That’s what they did,” Scariolo shouted to the fans. Later, Rudy managed to move the coach when he addressed the coach to say: “We’ve been through everything, but what you’ve done with this team is something incredible, incredible Willy also had some special thanks for Scariolo. “For everything that’s been squeezed out of me and the fights he’s thrown at me. I know he’s doing it for my good,” the Madrid center said.
The one who went through a few moments of difficulty taking the microphone was Lorenzo Brown, the point guard born in the United States – ‘Lorenzo de Albacete’, as Usman Garuba has christened him-, who addressed the fans in English and barely could launch in Spanish “Hello”, “Long live Spain!” and thank you”. “Lorenzo, thank you for the sacrifice and dedication to this team,” Rudy Fernández told Brown, after the Spanish captain also criticized the race director’s explicit nationalization for the championship, which was fundamental to its success. Lorenzo Brown was chosen on Sunday from the members of the best quintet of Eurobasket 2022, along with Willy, “a boulder”, as Rudy described him.
The experienced Majorcan striker of Real Madrid considers the Hernangómez his “brothers”. “Had it not been for them, this would have been a very long time. On a personal level, after what happened to me – the death of his father last May, at the age of 66 – it has made me much more comfortable to have them by my side. They are the present and the future of this team,” acknowledged Rudy, referring to Willy Juancho before appearing at the WiZink, where he played in one of the funniest moments when he yelled at Alberto Díaz: “Please… if you defend, Albert!”
Source: La Verdad
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