Garuba: “I have felt good and I think we are in good shape”
MADRID, 25 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish international basketball player Italians in their friendly match this Tuesday by 84-87 at the WiZink Center.
“We don’t have much time to prepare it and I think it was a good first contact, Italy had just played a game and you could see that rhythm that they had at the beginning, and our lack,” analyzed López-Arostegui about the Spanish preparation of facing the Pre-Olympic Tournament, which will be held in Valencia from July 2 to 7.
“I think we got into the game well, doing things very well in many moments and other times badly. But hey, we have time and a few days to adjust it, a second game to improve with the maximum ambition to improve and do well later” , the Valencia Basket forward alluded to the upcoming friendly against the Dominican Republic.
Furthermore, he was pleased to have played enough minutes against Italy. “Whenever I try to come to the national team I try to give what Sergio asks of me [Scariolo] and what the team tells me. In this case, then push a little further back and always try to give your best so that the team benefits,” he argued in this regard.
“It took us a little while to get into the rhythm, but then we got hooked on the game. We had margins of almost 10 points and then we lost those margins, but I think it is a game in which we have been competing all the time, doing things well, taking this rhythm of competition,” said López-Arostegui.
Although he stressed that “many people had not competed in a long time,” he defined the intense minutes against the ‘azzurro’ team as “very good for the team.” “There are things to improve and that is also normal, and better for us because we can be a better team than what has been shown, so happy,” he summarized.
“I don’t think it’s relaxation. I think that Italy also played a good game, they were more aggressive. We also made some mistakes in defense at the end of the game, so they penalized us; I think there were practically three attacks in a row. that they have been attacked with triples, and it has been noticed,” he warned.
“Merit also goes to them, who played a good game. But well, also playing those types of games with the challenge that we have ahead of us, which is a very big challenge, because it is also something positive, because it makes us play tight games and handle it in that situation,” he concluded.
GARUBA: “I FELT GOOD AND I THINK WE ARE IN GOOD DYNAMICS”
Center Usman Garuba also spoke to the press: “It was the first game in a long time, but I felt good and I think we are in good shape, we are doing what we have to do, we are training very well. It is our first game as a group and we are aware that we have little time to prepare for the tournament, but we are doing very well and I think we are on the right track.”
“Our objective is not to win now, it is to win next week. The truth is that it is good for us to get into the rhythm of the game, the competitiveness again and all that, and it is good to have this type of games now and we are ready to the next one this Friday,” he also alluded to the friendly duel against the Dominican Republic.
“I am completely convinced that both Sergio [Scariolo] “as your staff, as our entire team and our players, we are aware of the little time we have to prepare for the Pre-Olympic, but tomorrow we are going to watch the game again among all of us and see how we can improve,” Garuba stressed to reporters. .
“And nothing, I’m calm about that, really. I think we have a good team, that we are capable of winning the Pre-Olympic; but hey, we have to work day by day and continue with the foundations to be able to reach our goal,” he concluded. the center of the Golden State Warriors.