“I am very clear that Lorenzo Brown is going to contribute because he is excited,” said the FEB president in an interview
MADRID, 29 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), Elisa Aguilar, considers that “it is too early to talk about medals with the women’s team” ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris (France) and that is why she points to the quarterfinals as “a feasible option” within their “possibilities”, despite not having center Raquel Carrera.
“It’s too early to talk about medals with the women’s team,” Aguilar said during an interview with Europa Press. “We had a good tournament in Vigo and we still have two more in Belgium and Segovia against very tough rivals, which will allow us to arrive at the Games in top form,” she added, just a few weeks before the Spanish team plays Serbia, China and Puerto Rico in Group A of those Olympics.
The manager has pointed out the quarter-finals as “an option within our possibilities” and has denied that they should “think much further ahead”, advocating to focus “on each match”. Although she has regretted the absence due to injury of Carrera, whom she has described as “a great player not only on but also off the court”, she has shown herself “convinced” that the final team “will be at 100%” in Paris.
Aguilar then described his first year as president of the FEB as “very positive.” “We have been able to bring a Pre-Olympic to Spain, we have qualified for the Games with the 5×5 women’s team and both 3×3, and our competitions are more visible and much stronger, such as the LEB Oro or the Endesa Women’s League,” has asserted.
He has also rated the economic balance positively as a result of his work and that of his team at the FEB. “I can assure you that, if we are good on the court, we are also good off it,” he said before confessing that they are “very eager to grow” during his mandate.
“I AM VERY CLEAR THAT LORENZO BROWN IS GOING TO CONTRIBUTE BECAUSE HE IS EXCITED”
In addition, the FEB president praised the naturalised point guard Lorenzo Brown. “He is a very experienced and proven player. We saw him with us at the Eurobasket 2022, he played a fundamental and key role. I am very clear that Lorenzo is going to contribute because he is excited,” said Aguilar, after the tribute given to the men’s team that won silver at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
After speaking with him, Aguilar stressed that Brown is “really looking forward to it.” “We are very happy that he can come with us for another summer and that he can play the same role or better than he did in Berlin, not only him but all his teammates, and that we can get the passport to Paris,” he predicted about the Pre-Olympic tournament.
Aguilar has assured that the players “know perfectly well what the tournament is like.” “We have two games against Lebanon and Angola, which we are supposed to be superior to, before those possible semi-final and final matches. They will be good for us to get the feel of the Pre-Olympic tournament and adapt to the atmosphere,” he explained about that match in Valencia.
In the Fuente de San Luis Pavilion, from July 2 to 7, a single ticket for the Olympic Games will be up for grabs. from Paris. “No one knows better than the players the importance of starting at 100% from day one,” Aguilar stressed regarding this Pre-Olympic.
The FEB president has expressed “feelings of excitement and motivation” and her aim to see Spain have “a team with a lot of talent, commitment and who are training very well.” “We also have Sergio Scariolo as our coach, who is the best coach we could have had; and we are going to play the Pre-Olympic tournament in Spain, in a city like Valencia where basketball is in the air,” she said.
“WE HAVE A LOT OF TALENT AND THERE ARE DAYS THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL AND OTHERS THAT ARE NOT”
The former player has denied that the Spanish team lacks points, despite its mixed performances in the friendlies against Italy and the Dominican Republic. “I think we have a lot of talent and there are days when we are successful and others when we are not. You have to adapt to the days when you are more successful and keep trying to win,” she reflected.
For Aguilar, the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was “a turning point” in national basketball. “That’s when we realised that we could compete and that we could win,” she stressed, while describing it as “an honour” for her to share the FEB’s tribute to the silver medallists thanks to “a very nice gesture.”