They all cried. Even the usually hieratic Sergio Scariolo was excited. How could it not be. The feat of this group of players and this coaching staff enters the highest place in the glorious history of Spanish basketball. Comparable, even for the unexpected, to that distant 2006 in which Rudy Fernández was proclaimed world champion in Saitama. Yesterday 16 years later, he was the sole survivor of that glorious generation. In Berlin he passed the baton of success to a new batch with seven debutants. Seven. And, apart from him, only the Hernangómez brothers, two giants who were congratulated at the foot of the track by a legend like Dirk Nowitzki, were as a link with that group of gold juniors.
Words fall short to define what you have achieved!!!! CHAMPIONEEEEEEES OF EUROPE!!!! ????????????
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) September 18, 2022
Willy received from Nowitzki himself the title of best player of the tournament as confirmation of his unstoppable growth in the national team, while his brother Juancho (the best in the final), wept at the back of the court. The selection has gone from having the leading role of the Gasol brothers to that of the Hernangómez brothers with the same winning gene. Not in vain the history of Spanish basketball is full of family sagas.
Rudy’s 11 medals
Rudy, with 11 medals already in his record as Pau Gasol, was in charge of fulfilling the tradition of cutting the hoop net. He has been the leader of the locker room, apart from Scariolo, from a group that has progressed throughout the tournament in a huge way. “Captaining this team has been an enormous pride, due to the humility he has always had. Basketball sometimes gives you these rewards, “said the captain. In his case, it was very personal. «This is the most special medal for me, yes. I was missing my great pillar, my father, and I know that he has helped us from up there », he recalled about his death last May. He also had another memory for Sergio Llull, injured in the final stretch of the preparation. With his shirt he went up to the podium.
Thirty-odd years watching you on a basketball court. But I have never felt so proud of you as in this Eurobasket. You have given a lesson in leadership and commitment. And I’m so glad that you finally have the recognition you deserve. @rudy5fernandez ???? pic.twitter.com/RorsrRz9MR
– Marta Fernandez (@MartaFernandez5) September 18, 2022
In that “special, incredible group” in the words of its captain, nobody trusted that it would culminate a success of this caliber. Probably not even themselves when they landed in Georgia. Winning a medal was already spoils. Another thing was the landing in Berlin, where game by game they were knocking down walls (Lithuania, Finland and the host Germany itself before the final).
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Reach the top uncovered all the emotions between the most veteran and the less expert like the Unicaja trio: Darío Brizuela, Jaime Fernández (next year in Tenerife) and Alberto Díaz, the enormous redhead who made up for Sergio Llull’s injury loss and has been a fundamental pillar for Scariolo. Like Lorenzo Brown, another who could not even imagine when his controversial express nationalization was closed at the beginning of July that he was going to achieve the best success of his career.
From the box of the Berlin track, a former basketball player, specifically from Estudiantes, as Pedro Sánchez applauded satisfied.