2023-09-21 06:30:38
The former base and until now the right hand of Alfred Julbe and Bernat Canut makes the jump as the first coach of Spar Girona. The debut comes on Saturday in Zaragoza (7.10pm), although the team is in the construction phase. Laura Antoja asks for “patience” and promises to fight every match at 100%.
Is it different to start a season as a player than as a coach?
As a player I have had many years to learn how to master this situation, but as a coach, it is new. Then the excitement and desire for the debut to arrive is similar. He always said when he was playing that he would fold when a season started without that desire. With years of experience you have more cards in your hand to master, although it’s my first year now and maybe I’m a little more nervous than when I was a player.
In the end, that call from Uni, in 2020, to come and be Alfred Julbe’s assistant, did change his life.
Totally. At that moment he tells me that what we are living now will happen and I was thinking about it. I lived in Argentona, I worked in Mataró, I had disconnected from basketball, although in the end I always ended up being linked to it by family or work. The profession of basketball had been put on hold and the return to Girona was like re-engaging in something I really like. And I didn’t realize it until I reattached it again. It’s a passion you carry inside.
When was it clear to him that he could get back into professional basketball?
The first year I arrived at Christmas. I closed my physiotherapy practice to do this test, in the middle of a pandemic. I gave myself a few months to work with Alfred. The moment I got on the track to do the first training I could already see that my emotions had changed and that I was liking it. There I saw that maybe if continuity with the club was possible and they continued to like my way of doing things, that was possible. No rush, huh? And that has brought us here.
He said at the start of pre-season that Uni’s self-esteem needed to be rebuilt. Has this process already started?
Of course. As the days and weeks go by, things happen, not only at the sporting level, but in the internal organization. They sell memories of previous seasons and these things must be cleaned and clarified, they must cease to be in doubt.
Does he say it for last year?
Fresh air has come in this summer with the new players, but the club is the same, there are people who continue, and I want them to start seeing a new way of working. Let it be seen that something different is being built. And that means being very alert, paying attention to details, talking a lot, and making people aware that there is some change. There should be no rush, the changes should be made little by little.
What was missing from the team last season?
I couldn’t tell him, because I always liked the team very much. It’s a matter of how I like to work. I don’t want to compare myself to how I worked one, two or three years ago. I am very scrupulous about certain things and certain details that must make it clear that I am the one who carries this ship. The people I’ve surrounded myself with go together and I like that too. I wouldn’t be able to do all this alone.
It wasn’t telling him so much about his role, it was telling him more about why he was lacking as a team… maybe more of an outside threat?
In the end, everything is dynamic. What we didn’t have last year was continuity, and I’m trying to repeat that all human and sports groups need that in order to build. We had to be more aware of overcoming the obstacles that were emerging, than of building. This, as far as possible, we should have it more under control.
Is the team indebted to the fans?
I don’t feel that way. I have always noticed the fans supporting the team. I also don’t think the team didn’t want to give their 100%, it wasn’t a lack of ambition or desire, but they were probably deflated by the continuous effort they had to make all year. What we all deserve is to enjoy more and suffer less, and this is where everyone will have to do their part. We will have to be patient. What is clear is that we will always give 100% attitude, with that we can never fail the fans, no matter what happens.
They insist a lot on enjoying themselves, perhaps even giving it more value than the results.
It’s my philosophy. As a player you have to enjoy your day to day because otherwise it becomes very cumbersome. It’s the same in all jobs. You have to be focused in each training session and in the end what seems like effort turns into enjoyment. That’s what I like that it ends up being the feeling of the team, that they enjoy trying, not that they suffer.
The pre-season ends, uneventful, because it still lacks players to arrive (Bertsh and Mitchell). How do you make a team in competition?
They are mentally very prepared to grit their teeth and despite not having good feelings of collective play, continue to believe in it. Holding on a lot in the day to day and building from the mistake. You work, you make mistakes, there are bad results or not, and from what needs to be improved, that’s where we focus. We can’t focus on the results because surely there are teams that give you such an advantage that you can’t compete in that, but we can on having them on a tightrope, not leaving the game, and keep working to get strong
Do you have to be patient, therefore, and more so with the calendar they have?
I have it clear. You have to be patient, and I am the first. I wish things were different, we would like to have results and image as soon as possible… but we are still missing five players from the team. We are going to compete against the best in the league and on the opposite field. Without fear, without losing respect, but with solidity, we have to fight it, and keep building. This is my norm until a month or a month and a half from now.
Where are we today?
We are at the beginning of building the collective game but above all the collective defense. I want to use all the pieces of the team and that they all feel that they have minutes to give, then some will be more momentous than others. I would like the team not to depend on anyone. The more pieces that get into that rhythm, the more I can offer the team the game I want to show. Physically, the team is not yet at the point of offering this type of game, but we are working to create automations that, once we have more pieces, will accelerate our growth.
What is the minimum target?
There must always be that point where when you lose, you think that others beat you because they did it better. For me this will always be my goal. You don’t win because the other one was better. Uni either wins or it doesn’t because the opponent has been better.
When will Bertsch and Mitchell arrive?
Bertsch the idea is to have it for the Catalan League next week. And Mitchell for the Barça match at home on October 7.
At what point are Mendy and Etxarri?
Mendy is in the process of being able to enter the team. He still does solo work, but he already steps on the track. Due to the pregnancy, she has to get fitter so she doesn’t suffer injuries. We will set dates shortly, we need it, and so does she. We have to focus on the goal of having her in the team. Etxarri is very advanced in her recovery, but in this type of injury the deadlines are very accurate. In the end she goes forward but that has to be firmer. We will know more at Christmas.
Women’s sport has been around for many years, but the successes (and messes) of the national soccer team have made it a media phenomenon. It seems that women’s sport has now been discovered.
Yes, I live like this but without envy, without rancor. I think it’s an opportunity. No matter how well we have played, no matter how many titles we have won in basketball, if football is the main sport in this country we must take advantage of it. We can’t control what people watch. If people got hooked and were surprised that girls play so well in soccer, they can also discover that in basketball, in tennis, in water polo… it’s the same.
#Uni #enjoy #suffer