Following Spain’s commanding 94:64 victory over Ivory Coast in the opening game of the FIBA World Cup, Sergio Scariolo shared his first impressions.
The Italian coach began the press conference by highlighting the unpredictability of the first games in the tournament.
“The first game is always unpredictable; it depends a lot on the mindset, concentration, nerves… I think we were quite good. There were things to commend, but also some negatives, mainly referring to turnovers. The energy was there, ball movement was good. We need to strive to improve from game to game.”
Dominant. ๐ค Spain opens with an empathic win over Cote d'Ivoire.#FIBAWC x #WinForEspana ๐ช๐ธ
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ๐ (@FIBAWC) August 26, 2023
Sergio Scariolo also commented on Juan Nunez’s performance, as the young player showcased three points, five rebounds, and eight assists in 21 minutes on the court.
“He hasn’t taken over someone else’s role; he will simply be our starting point guard. There are still uncertainties in his game, given his age, but he wants to progress, listen, work… We are satisfied. He takes on responsibility despite his age; it’s interesting to see a young guy playing at that level in such a team. We are all behind him, pushing him,” the Italian coach said about the player born in 2004.
Spain’s next match in Group G will be against the Brazilian national team on August 28th, starting at 3:30 PM.