MADRID, 9 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish basketball coach, Sergio Scariolo, assured that the defeat against Greece this Tuesday (86-70) leaves them “things to learn and others to build on” after the first preparation match for the Eurobasket that starts on September 1 .
“It was a very interesting match, we played against one of the best teams in the competition. Greece belongs -with full rights- to the first group (of favourites), to those who will be at the top, everyone expects it to finish on the podium “He said about the Hellenes, who were clear dominators of a match played this Tuesday at the OAKA in Athens.
“We have played in an extremely beautiful setting, with a full pavilion and great support from the fans for the home team. And surely the first quarter has served us well, I hope so, because on a physical level, of impact, of ‘ take a step forward’ to counteract the physical superiority of rivals like this, we have to do it”, analyzed the Italian.
In this sense, the Spanish coach valued the change in the following quarters. “In the second, third and fourth, until Giannis Antetokounmpo (31 points) appeared – who made the difference – I think we did interesting things and played a little harder,” he said.
“Some players physically have other conditions compared to our rivals. That is why we will have to look for other formulas, in the end today we have competed and we have never thrown in the towel. We have had options… we have things to learn and others to build on. Enough. Especially from the second quarter”, sentenced Scariolo.
WILLY HERNANGÓMEZ: “MANY MISTAKES, BUT WE HAVE IMPROVED”
For his part, the player Willy Hernangómez acknowledged that they had “many errors and many failures”, something normal since it was the first preparation test. “It was a first contact against a great team like Greece. We had many mistakes, many failures, but the positive thing is that we improved during the game”, he pointed out.
“We have many things to learn but we are just starting. I am proud of how the team has improved in the match and it is still early days. We have come to compete and we have not given up at any time. In two days we have another special test in Madrid, at home, in front of our fans. Every game adds up and we have to keep learning because we are a lot of new players. Now, let’s keep adding up as always”, he concluded.