Sergio Scariolo, the coach of Spain, spoke to Eurohoops about the upcoming match between his team and Canada at the FIBA World Cup.
After a loss to Latvia, the Spanish national team finds itself in a situation where a victory in the last game of Group L is crucial for advancing to the quarterfinals. However, this won’t be an easy task as their opponent is Team Canada, which also needs a win to make it to the knockout stage.
Following his coaching stints in Italy and Spain, Sergio Scariolo made his NBA debut as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors during the 2018/2019 season, winning an NBA championship with them.
“The connection is enormous. Canada holds a special place in my heart. I spent incredible years there, and on top of it all, I won an NBA championship ring,” explained the Virtus coach.
There is another kind of connection between Scariolo and the members of Canada’s coaching staff, including head coach Jordi Fernandez.
“We are in the same hotel. We have played in tournaments together. We spend many days together. Their coach is my friend, their assistant coach is also my friend,” said Scariolo.
“Of course, this is a game that both teams want to win. They are a very good team, and we will work to match that quality so we can compete against them.”
The Italian expert has revealed the approach they will take in preparing for the decisive match.
“We will try to, as always, focus on our strengths. Then, on the opponent’s strengths. We will attempt to maximize our advantages while minimizing our weaknesses. For me, this is the 200th such game where I face elimination, but for most of my players, it’s not. I’m trying to keep them concentrated, motivated so that we have a chance to compete,” emphasized Scariolo.
Canada boasts several NBA players in their lineup, including talented guards like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett. It’s difficult for a team with such an arsenal of NBA talent not to be considered the favorite on paper.
“We will give 100 percent. This is a team that is probably above us in terms of physicality, athleticism, NBA experience, etc. What’s in our hands is to give our all. If our best isn’t enough, we will shake hands with our opponents and wish them luck in the rest of the championship.”
Spain is the defending world champion in this tournament and also exceeded expectations in the previous EuroBasket, winning the gold medal.
“Our team is going through a generational shift. It’s true that during this process, we’ve exceeded expectations. By definition, exceeding expectations is something that happens from time to time. It happened to us at a level we didn’t expect. Honestly, I think any comparison between this team and the previous generation of our legends is not appropriate,” concluded the 62-year-old coach.