Sergio Scariolo: “It pisses me off when a player doesn’t fight back”

Sergio Scariolo (Brescia, 63 years old) renewed his contract until 2028 as head of the men’s basketball team shortly before the first big challenge of this summer, winning the pre-Olympic tournament in Valencia and qualifying for the Paris Games. The second will be to compete in the Paris event in a high-level group alongside Australia, Greece and Canada in search of the qualifiers. The team that calls itself The family He has been on the world podium this century, a period in which he has won 14 of the 20 medals in his history, including four European golds and two World Cups. He also won two Olympic silvers in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 against the United States, who shone like gold. But that era is over and Scariolo now faces the need for generational change, still mixing illustrious veterans like Rudy and Llull with new blood, while aiming to remain in the elite.

Ask. After losing at the last World Cup, you said that qualifying for the Games would be a “titanic feat.” Has it been that difficult?

Answer. Yes. I said that because there were still many top-level teams to qualify and few places at stake. It has really been very complicated, especially in terms of physical and tactical planning, the adaptation of the players in such a short time, with the injuries. [Álex Abrines y Juancho Hernangómez apuran su recuperación para estar en París]which has really bothered us. Think of the list of teams that have been left out of the Games: Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Turkey, Croatia, Italy, Argentina… They are top-level. That highlights our qualification. In the world of basketball, the First Division is at the Games and we have maintained our category. It is an excellent performance and very good news for Spanish basketball.

P. How did you feel when you beat the Bahamas in the pre-Olympic final and qualified?

R.After a success, there is euphoria or relief. This feeling now has been more of relief, without a doubt. For many months I had been maturing how important all this was. I have to admit that I also had the image of how negative it could be not to qualify, even though from a sporting point of view it could perfectly happen. Finally, the team confirmed its qualities and that with them it can minimize its weaknesses and enhance its strengths.

P. Spain has gone from fighting for Olympic gold to fighting to be at the Games. Is this the new reality you are talking about?

R. There is no one who has a minimum knowledge of the subject who does not see it. I do not need to try to make it clear. The reality is different, the objectives are different, the time frame over which we project the search for excellence is different, and the very concept of excellence is different: before it was about hunting for a medal and now it is about giving the best version of ourselves, trying to proceed with the generational change while maintaining the maximum possible competitiveness in the present.

P. Is that deadline 2028?

R. Yes. With luck and success, we will be able to have a team that is completely renewed compared to the past, although it has already changed a lot, and with a very interesting average age to be able to open a cycle. The approach will have its curves and will depend on how the players develop in all senses. This is not something mathematical. We will see how much prominence the players will manage to gain in their clubs.

P. You have warned about the growing lack of prominence of the Spanish player…

R. I understand that clubs that have to get results and cannot afford medium-term investments have to make decisions based on the present. This forces our players to speed up. In order to play, they have to be better, to compete at the same level as foreign players who are older than them and from very different backgrounds. That is the challenge and it is not easy. I can only tell my players that, like all challenges, if you tackle them and give your all, you have more chances of success. Sometimes it is a question of conformism. Players conform, perhaps unconsciously, they accept a privileged position of being in high-level squads, well paid, in well-organised teams, and that has the risk of softening their competitive instinct. They have to fight not to conform, to question the hierarchies, to rebel against the marked lines. Sometimes they have passively accepted them, I detect that and that is what annoys me the most, that they conform and do not rebel and fight, because that is in their hands.

P. Do you think it is a generational thing, that there is more conformism among young people today?

R. It is true that competition has increased exponentially, basketball is played in more and more places, food is better, player recruitment has expanded, for example in Africa… The competitive field is enormous. And when there are good living conditions, a comfortable permanence in a status, it is difficult to leave the comfort zone, to bring out the ambition inside. That, challenging yourself, not conforming, is what makes a player improve. It is a shame that one loses seasons and years without realizing it that never come back.

P. At 39, Rudy Fernández will compete in his sixth Olympic Games, more than anyone else in the history of basketball. Is he the example that goes against this complacency?

R. Yes, and that is his legacy, not conforming, competing. That he was 10 kilos lighter than his rival, it didn’t matter to him. That he was 10 centimetres shorter, it didn’t matter to him. That he had missed three shots in a row before, it didn’t matter to him. His competitive spirit doesn’t understand excuses. If you want justifications, you always find them. And he, like anyone else, could find them, but when it came to competing, there were no friends, teammates or coaches. He was, and is, himself with his competitive pride. His physical conditions have changed, but he hasn’t lost that. His non-conformist identity has remained intact. That’s why he’s a great example. Why is he the only one in the world to have played six Olympic Games? He has talent, yes, but like other players. He has a lot of game instinct, yes, but like others. Add that to his rebelliousness, to the fact that he doesn’t accept losing without giving his skin, muscles and bones on the court, that’s not easy to communicate with words. All that remains is to witness it and learn it.

P. A player who doesn’t pay attention to the highlights?

R. This is a world and a society in which highlights, likes, and views on social media greatly influence the lives of young people. I see this in my children and I fight against it. It is a constant and permanent battle that sport helps to win, because it teaches you to focus on your performance and not on what others think. It teaches you to prepare yourself, to compete. What really counts matters, not what society wants you to see.

P.What have you discovered in the practice of golf?

R.It is the only sport that will always be with me. The other day I saw an elderly man taking classes at the camp where I go. He was 96 years old! What other sport gives you the possibility to continue challenging yourself and wanting to improve at that age? That gives you a lot. Then the care of the technical gesture, so detailed, I had never had that. And the ability to concentrate, to isolate yourself from everything…