Bàsquet Girona has not started the season too well. The team led by Marc Gasol accumulates only two victories and eight defeats in the first ten days of the ACB and this Wednesday the president and player has shown his face to analyze the moment the team is experiencing, the possible solutions and also his personal feelings, in a season in which he is being the undisputed leader of the group, also on the track.
The season has started with two wins and eight losses… how is Marc Gasol and how is the dressing room?
Beyond winning or losing, it is clear that what we all want is to win, but physically I feel good personally, in a process of improvement like the whole team. We are really looking forward to the next game to apply everything we are working on on a day-to-day basis and to show it on the track.
What is the team missing to translate the weekly work into results?
I think we are lacking experience and patience, especially in some late-games. We have had some duels in which we have been close to victory and also in others in which we have not been in matches. We have lacked experience to be able to interpret what the party needed and what was happening at that moment. Without a doubt, with something more of these two things we would do much better.
Aíto and various colleagues have insisted that work during the week is good. Does Marc Gasol also think so?
Now it should be applied to matches. The level of training is very good, but we find ourselves in a totally controlled environment and against some rivals that you know practically perfectly and that allows you to avoid some situation and some actions. Now we need to apply it to matches against an opponent whose objective is to make things difficult for you. Taking advantage of your weaknesses and trying to minimize your strengths, this is surely the part that we should improve the most as a group.
The man in charge of implying this improvement is Aíto. Is it essential to continue trusting in his work?
Obviously. The certainty that Aíto has experienced all possible battles is absolute and the players are convinced that reversing the situation requires us to do our part and produce this improvement that we need on a day-to-day basis.
How do you manage the relationship with the coach from the point of view of the president?
The reality is that we have practically no relationship from president to coach. He has a lot of experience and knows how to improve the team. The sports director, Jordi Pla, is the one who is in constant contact with him to find out what the team’s needs are, but not because things are going badly now, but because he must always be aware of the different situations that may arise.
One of the fundamental pillars is Aíto, but the other is Marc Gasol. Going over the statistics, his numbers are really spectacular. How are you feeling and what are your limits today?
I am feeling very well, but I would like there not to be so much dependence on me. I would be happier if the number of players who felt comfortable and safe on the court was greater to be able to do more things. I want to verbalize to my teammates what they should do when they are alone, to shoot, to generate… we all have to add to the court. We cannot be so predictable and so easy to be stopped by the rival.
Is your facet of scoring and rebounding important, but is this that you explain about helping your teammates also important?
It is my responsibility as a player. I am now at the end of my career and what I must do now is transfer it to the new generations. As the head of this club, it is my obligation to be able to transfer my knowledge to all these players so that they can grow to the maximum.
How do you manage the fact of being a reference for your teammates and make them understand that they must take responsibility while they are also on the track?
I just ask my teammates to play basketball and do their job. Aíto is the one who sets the model for us and we must not leave here. All of us here have been playing basketball for many years and we have to try to feel as comfortable as possible. One of the keys occurs so that all the players begin to trust themselves more and then they can also trust their partner. If we do this we will improve a lot as a team.
The calendar has wanted the last three games of the year to be against three direct rivals, starting with Valencia and then Zaragoza and Manresa. What assessment do you make?
The first and most important is that of Valencia. Right now thinking about anything other than this is not positive. I don’t have time to think about the afterlife, nor about how Valencia plays, that is work that corresponds to the technical staff. We try to interpret how they will play us on an individual level and I am sure that Àlex Mumbrú will present us with a very difficult match. We already saw in Vitoria that we cannot go out relaxed and without entering the game against an opponent like this, because he knocks you out for a moment.