Scariolo on watching Slovenia vs. Serbia: 'Should I turn it off not to get depressed?' / News - Basketnews.com

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Sergio Scariolo looked slightly exhausted after the second exhibition game in three days against one of the EuroBasket contenders.

Player of the Game EFF 25 Jonas Valančiūnas Points 16 Accuracy 7-10 Rebounds 9 Assists 2

But it was clear from his face that the 61-year-old Italian was proud of how his players fought against Lithuania.

The Spanish national team opened the game 4-19 but came back from a double-digit deficit and pushed the hosts to the ropes.

The newest addition, Lorenzo Brown, even had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. But his long-range shot was contested by Domantas Sabonis, and the Lithuanians prevailed 78-76.

That was the third loss in four preparation games for Spain on the eve of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and the 2022 EuroBasket.

But coach Scariolo focuses on the bigger picture, building this new core in an emergency.

Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull, and Willy Hernangomez were sidelined for game in Vilnius. But that was the least problem the World champions coach had this summer.

He has to rebuild a long-time FIBA powerhouse going through a massive reconstruction.

Spanish NT titans Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, and Sergio Rodriguez officially retired after the last year's Olympic campaign in Tokyo.

On top of that, Ricky Rubio, Alex Abrines, Victor Claver, Alberto Abalde, Santi Aldama, Carlos Alocen, Sergi Martinez, and Santi Yusta extends the list of missing Spanish NT players for the EuroBasket due to injuries or personal reasons.

After the loss in Vilnius, Scariolo sat down with BasketNews to share his impressions about the new Spanish NT leadership examples, Lorenzo Brown's integration, and EuroBasket giants, which sometimes make him feel depressed.

What did your players learn from those two games against Lithuania, and what did you learn about your team?I don't know how many teams, let alone the US, might play without their 8-9 best players and still compete (smiles).

Our players might be unknown to most people. But we grew them up from the youth program and the window. Now they're here.

The talent is limited, and I know that. But the competitiveness is there. We got to trust that we can make things challenging for anyone. Of course, we miss size and shooting, which is basically basketball (laughs). But I think we're really fighting, improving, and learning.

What do I hope they learned? First of all, once again, you can't give up five minutes. It's a lot of uphill pedaling after to recover.

The second thing, little details make the difference when it's a close game. We made 3-4 stupid defensive mistakes in the end. A couple of situations we didn't want to. A couple of one on one on Brazdeikis, which we didn't have to let finish like that. But this is the lesson.

I hope they learned that they could compete. But at the same time, the concentration has to be extremely high for all 40 minutes. We don't have a team to give up details for three minutes.

You were behind, on a bad stretch, and in such situations, you need your leaders to step up on and off the court. Facing this generational and leadership change, who will be the new leaders of the Spanish national team this year?We were without Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull, and Willy Hernangomez, who showed leadership in the first three games, which were huge.

Lorenzo Brown is leading by example. He is getting better and better every game. But of course, he still needs to learn how to involve teammates, how to furnish us, and how to talk Spanish in some different situations. He is called to be another leader on this team.

The rest of the guys have to lead themselves up. If you're there, if you're 100%, focused and tough on the court, maybe you don't even need too much external leadership.

Lorenzo Brown's addition was a huge topic this summer. But your job is to integrate him into the national team on and off the floor as soon as possible. What was that moment in the practice, hotel, or team bus where you saw him among the other national team members and felt that he was getting there and the transition was going smoothly?From day one, he had an unbelievable humble approach and all his teammates, starting from team captains Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull, helped him a lot to get to the team. It was very smooth and easy.

This team played the same offensive and defensive systems for many, many years. And these players are coming from U16, U18, and U20. Most of them are running that stuff. So for him or anyone, who never played with these guys, it's not easy to adjust.

But he's doing great. Lorenzo plays unselfishly, works hard, and has a great relationship with his teammates.

Every day and every game, I feel his adjustment and the team's adjustment are working and getting better.

The Spanish national team is barely mentioned in EuroBasket title conversations. You were also labeled as underdogs in 2019 when you won the World Cup. Do you see any similarities between these two groups?Honestly, not. We can't sell what we don't have.

We're a completely different team in terms of experience, size, and scoring talent. I think these comparisons are out of place.

I think we got to be the best version of ourselves. This team has to be competitive in its identity and nature.

But this is not 2019. This is back in the time, big back in the time.

Honestly, I think it's totally a new story.

You named Lithuania as one of the favorites of the EuroBasket 2022. What makes them favorites? What makes them so uncomfortable for your team and you as the coach?They're physical. They're athletic. Experienced. They have many players who played seasons in the EuroLeague.

They're top NBA players, All-Stars. Their top 7-8 players are the top level. They have everything to compete at the highest level.

Then... There are many other teams. I was watching Slovenia and Serbia today, and I was thinking: should I continue to watch to enjoy or turn it off not to get depressed? (laughs.)

I mean I see players like Doncic, Antetokounmpo, Jokic... We're talking about the NBA MVP-level players. That's like a wonderland. But I feel Lithuania can compete.

And I will use this opportunity to say it one more time, which I have already told several times. But to play in Lithuania is always so exciting for how the crowd is involved, how loud they're, and how they create this beautiful warm atmosphere. Of course, they're supporting the home team, but in a correct way.

It's always beautiful to play in Lithuania.

So how should Spain and Lithuania try to reach the title surrounded by giants like Doncic, Jokic, and Giannis?Sorry, I can't give you a serious answer. It's going to be hard, what can I tell you? (laughs.)

URBONUS episode with Sergio Scariolo:

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