Jordi Fernandez: “Taking short steps makes everything more solid” | Sports

The Spanish men’s basketball team will face, today, Thursday (9:30 pm, No. 2), in Granada and against Canada, the penultimate preparatory match for the World Cup, which will be held in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines from August 25 to September 10. The last training before traveling to Jakarta will be on Saturday against the Dominican Republic. The Canadian seat has a Spanish accent. At the end of June, Jordi Fernandez, 40, from Badalona,…

The Spanish men’s basketball team will face, today, Thursday (9:30 pm, No. 2), in Granada and against Canada, the penultimate preparatory match for the World Cup, which will be held in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines from August 25 to September 10. The last training before traveling to Jakarta will be on Saturday against the Dominican Republic. The Canadian seat has a Spanish accent. At the end of June, Jordi Fernandez, 40, from Badalona, ​​was appointed coach of the North American national team. It is a new step in the career of this coach who comes off his first season as a first assistant with the Sacramento Kings, the highest position ever achieved by a Spaniard on the bench of the NBA.

I ask. How did you receive the offer from Canada?

Answer. It was a quick thing. With so little time left before the World Cup, it was an easy decision to make as it was a unique opportunity. I needed approval from my family, from my wife and from Sacramento. He had a prior call because there was a possibility he could be the coach [Nick Nurse] I could not continue due to work problems, due to the contract with a new team. It happened so fast I couldn’t let go.

s. How is Canada?

R. It’s a young project. Everything has been amazingly positive, from the organisation, to the resources, to the people I work with and especially the players. They are a very talented group but have no experience in FIBA ​​basketball. They want to create a strong business that will last for many years. There is a lot of talent, but success does not happen overnight. We compete on everything, but our goal is to build something solid for the long term.

s. Is talent not enough?

R. correct. Adding individual talent is no guarantee of success. We are very good defensively, and our utmost commitment is to create a team with enough chemistry that can compete. It won’t be perfect because in other teams you can see how united they are. We are committed to choosing this level every match.

s. Is it a big personal challenge?

R. Yes, it is a challenge and above all a pride. When you coach a team, you have a country behind you, and that makes it even more special, because you trusted me. They have welcomed me in an unbeatable way and my goal is to earn the trust they have given me, and I can do this through a lot of work and achieve results. I have to return it to him.

s. How was your first year as a first assistant in the NBA?

R. If I could draw it on paper, it would be like this. We broke a historic record without Sacramento being in Playoffs [17 años] Above all, we played an attractive match, with a young team and a lot of room for improvement. I also have to work hard to regain that trust.

s. Have you been offered to be a head coach in Toronto?

R. Yes, I interviewed with three different bands. Toronto was one of them. In the end, every team makes their own decisions and I’m very happy with where I am. If the opportunity to be an NBA head coach comes along, it will come. Now I’m worried about the World Cup and then Sacramento.

s. Do you follow your philosophy of continuing one step at a time to take the next step?

R. Yes, when the steps in your career are shorter, everything becomes more solid, and there is more balance. I think I’ve already gone through a lot of steps and this is another one. What happens next doesn’t matter to me a bit as long as I continue to grow in my business and I’m happy with what I’m doing.

Q: Do you think it is unknown in Spain?

A: I don’t know and the truth is that this is not something that worries me much. I do my work by profession, not by being known. At the professional level, I have a good relationship with the clubs, coaches and the federation. On other levels, it’s less important to me. Being famous or unknown in Spain does not make me a better or worse coach.

s. He was in the Spanish team as an assistant at Eurobasket 2017. What is it like working with Sergio Scariolo?

R. One of the best things I’ve done in my career. He is one of my mentors. I have great respect for him both professionally and personally. I am in constant contact with him and for me his opinion on many things that happen to me in my career is very important. He’s not Spanish but he helped a lot with Spanish basketball and Spanish coaches. For me that was an example of going to Canada and making a contribution.

s. What stands out most about him?

R. Scariolo is methodical and driven. He is someone who pays a lot of attention to detail and this ultimately shows his team how good they are at many things. And the leader is. In recent years, Spain has lost major figures who said it would never return to what it was, and it continued to compete and win. This comes from the leader of the group and from the confidence in his players to compete and win. What he has done in recent years is incredible.

s. What is the great strength of the Spanish national team?

R. Spain is an example of being more than just a team, it is a team. In basketball you have to create a team, that way it is stronger, when all the players have a specific role, each one of them is a star in his role, in action for everyone. This generates the ability to get the most out of the group. Spain achieves this from the absolute national team to the youth teams.

s. What does the Ricky Rubio case tell you?

R. We must understand that we are all people. It doesn’t matter what you do and what situation you have. We all need to hold ourselves on the same page and respect the value of mental health. Ricky was able to rely on his people and tell them that. The worst thing is not being open. Ricky is an example for many other people.

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