Karl-Anthony Towns after 3-0 group sweep: 'Everyone counted us out' / News - Basketnews.com

Karl-Anthony Towns hails Coach Che's impact: "I think Che [Nestor Garcia] is one of the best coaches in the world. He is a coach in life, not just in basketball, and that makes him special."

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

The Dominican Republic's journey from underdogs to unbeatable in Group A has been nothing short of remarkable.

Player of the Game EFF 24 Andres Rafael Feliz Points 17 Accuracy 6-7 Rebounds 6 Assists 2

The team coached by Nestor Garcia defeated Angola on Tuesday and completed a 3-0 sweep in their group in the FIBA World Cup 2023.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who had foul troubles in the aforementioned game, appeared in the post-game conference and had high praises for the head coach and the whole team.

"We have a special team. Everyone counted us out and didn't think we could be great," he began. "But practice with one of the best coaches in the world, Che, we believed we could do something unique.

"From the bottom of my heart, all of the Dominican Republic needs to send their gratitude, thanks, and love to Coach Che. Without him, I don't know if all of this would be possible," the Minnesota Timberwolves big man added and then continued:

"I stand by what I have said. I think Che is one of the best coaches in the world. You know, I am around a lot of amazing coaches in the NBA -- some of the winningest coaches in the world, some of the best coaches ever. A great coach is a coach who gets the most out of his players and makes those players everyday come to work, come to practice, and come to the game with a smile on their faces. Che always finds a way to do that. Regardless of the situation, regardless of the pressure, regardless of what is about to come up."

In a lighthearted moment, Nestor Garcia playfully suggested that Towns might be showering him with praise just to earn a day off tomorrow. However, Towns proceeded to emphasize:

"When we are not in that court, we all wanna hang out with Coach Che. We all wanna get to talk with him, we all wanna laugh and joke with him. We all wanna talk basketball with him, we all want not to talk basketball with him. He is a coach in life, not just in basketball, and that makes him special."

In a win vs. Angola, Towns accumulated 8 points (1/2 2PT, 1/2 3PT, 3/3 FT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks over 15 minutes of play. He previously posted two double-doubles of 20+ points and 10+ rebounds.

"This is the FIBA World Cup. It's not about stats," Towns underlined post-game. "This is about bringing pride to our country. It's about a win. We wanted to be able to say we won three games in a row in the World Cup. We wanted to be able to say we were the first in our group."

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