Originally Published: 2009-02-22

“Messina would be the perfect coach for the Raptors. And Toronto would be the ideal city for a non-American coach to make his entry into the NBA. I’m hoping for this although it’s not likely to happen.” This is what Sergio Scariolo, coach of Khimki Moscow and of the Spanish national team, mentioned in a recent interview with Corriere Canadese/Tandem.
The basketball man formerly with Benetton Treviso and now at the helm of Spartak Moscow, thinks it would be an ideal choice for the Canadian franchise, assuming that the team would provide him the proper environment in which to acclimatize himself and work.

Let’s start with your new job guiding the world champion Spanish National Basketball team. What are your responsibilities, and what are your goals?

“The main responsibility is to be up to the challenge. In recent years, Spanish basketball has grown significantly, has obtained significant results, and is now one of the best in the world. Future ambitions are equally important: The team has talent. It’s clear that with time, it becomes more difficult to stay at the top levels because there is always competition that continues to improve. I think it will be necessary to keep a high degree of motivation in those players who have been acknowledged internationally. If we’re able to do this together with the players, then we’ll be able to achieve further satisfying results. The squad is very competitive, there’s no doubt.”

Is there any remote possibility for a team like Spain with its many NBA players to bridge the gap with the U.S. “Dream Team?”

“The gap is unbridgeable and there’s no possibility the Dream Team would lose their top ranking if they continue to take it seriously, as they did in the last Olympics. For sure, if they repeat the same mistakes of the past, like they did three years ago in the world championships or at the 2004 Athens Olympics, then there will be other teams ready to seize the opportunity. Their advantage is having two high-level teams. And when they play using all their resources, there’s no hope for anyone.”

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