Rudy before the pre-Olympic basketball games: “I want to see Fonteta 2017, when Valencia Basket won the ACB for us”

The men’s basketball team held its final training session at the Paterna Sports Centre before the start of the Valencia Pre-Olympic Tournament, which will be held at the Fuente de San Luis. The tournament, the only way to qualify for the Paris Olympics, will begin on Tuesday and end on Sunday, July 7, with a single winner and therefore a place in the French capital. Spain’s group includes Lebanon, Angola and the national team itself. The other group includes the Philippines, Poland and the Bahamas.

Scariolo’s team make their debut on Tuesday, the 2nd, at 8:30pm against Lebanon. They will play Angola with virtually no rest on Wednesday at 8:30pm. If they finish in the top two, they will advance to the semi-finals on Saturday, the 6th, while their opponents will be eliminated from Group B (Philippines, Poland and Bahamas). The final will be the culmination of the tournament on Sunday, July 7.

Both Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Scariolo wanted to dedicate a few words to Victor Claver after learning of his retirement from professional basketball. “I am very proud of everything Victor has done for Spanish basketball. He was a benchmark in the world of European basketball,” commented Rudy. The Spanish-Italian coach has always admired the player’s attitude. “He is an extraordinary person, an example of determination, a spirit of sacrifice and an understanding of the importance of a player in a team,” concluded Scariolo.

The Spanish team is participating in the Olympic qualifying tournament for the first time. Rudy Fernandez believes that they cannot lose: “In the World Cup or the European Championship you can start losing, but not here, there is no room for error.” Opposite them will be Lebanon, an opponent Scariolo does not trust: “This team always succeeds when they compete. “We have to be smart and do our job.”

Spain will play at home, and this should a priori be an advantage for the players. Valencia will have to play a total of 9 matches, of which only one will win. For this reason, Rudy wants to “see the Fonteta of 2017, when Valencia won the championship for us.” “The fans will react, and I hope we will too,” concluded the Real Madrid forward.