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04-28-2006, 05:23 PM
27/04/2006
ARG - Argentina star Scola thrives in spotlight with Tau Ceramica
PRAGUE (FIBA World Championship) - There's no bigger name in international basketball than Luis Scola.
The 2.07m forward is the leading light of Tau Ceramica in Spain and is the heart and soul of Argentina's national team.
On the day before Tau's Euroleague Final Four showdown with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Prague, Scola gave an exclusive interview to PA Sport's Cindy Garcia-Bennett and shared the secret of his success with club and country.
FIBA: Luis, what does basketball mean to you?
Scola: "After my family, basketball for me is everything. This sport has been with me since I was a child. I turned professional at 15 and I left home two years later, moved 10,000km away from Argentina to make a living in Spain. It represents everything to me."
FIBA: What has been the secret for you developing into one of the best players in the world?
Scola: "I train very hard. Before I go on the court I am focused and prepared for what awaits me. I know that hard work eventually pays off. I don't think there's any other secret. Hard work is the only way to succeed."
FIBA: How crucial was your former coach at Tau Ceramica, current Winterthur Barcelona boss Dusko Ivanovic, for your development into a top player?
Scola: "Ivanovic coached me for five years and logically, he is a big part in my career. He was there for me in the good times, the not so good times and the bad times.Without a doubt he has been important."
FIBA: You seem to have thrived under new Tau coach Velimir Perasovic as well.
Scola: "Whoever wants to be a good player has to learn from all of the coaches he has played under. I learned a lot from Ivanovic just as I have learned a lot from all the coaches I've had in my career."
FIBA: Ivanovic is renowned for making his teams work extremely hard in practices. How does he compare with Perasovic?
Scola: "They both do their job and I agree with them in the fact that you need focus and seriousness in this profession. It's just one way of understanding this job and I personally find it perfect. This doesn't mean that other systems don't work. I respect other working philosophies. Perasovic and Ivanovic are very serious and fantastic in what they do."
FIBA: Does their approach make their players more determined?
Scola: "They both have a winning mentality that all players need to have transmitted to them by our coaches to get out there and fight our best. It's not a bad thing to have a coach that pushes you hard."
FIBA: Was it a failure when Tau Ceramica finished last season without a trophy after playing in the Euroleague final against Maccabi Tel Aviv and in the ACB finals against Real Madrid?
Scola: "I don't like the word failure, it's a very ugly word. Not only those who became champions can claim to come out triumphant. Clubs, leagues and continents have different aims and goals and sometimes to finish second or third is a very good achievement."
FIBA: So winning isn't everything?
Scola: "What motivates me is to win titles, I think I speak for every player. You get the drive to continue by succeeding."
FIBA: Argentina are in a golden era of basketball and you are at the forefront of this with an Olympic gold medal to prove it. Your Tau team-mate is point guard Pablo Prigioni and he has been outstanding. Then there are players like Emanuel Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni. Did you drink a magic potion?
Scola: (Laughing) "Not at all. I think a good group came out and we were very fortunate that we all emerged at the same time and we were able to form a competitive national team. I don't think there's anything special , we are simply a good team. I just hope that future generations will find motivation in what we have achieved and this current group can continue to play at a high level and try and achieve success in international competitions. It's going to be very difficult but we will see."
FIBA: What a terrific story Prigioni has been this season. Tau's Jose Manuel Calderon went to the NBA along with Arvydas Macijauskas, yet your club side appears to have gotten stronger. Prigioni was the MVP of your Copa del Rey triumph. What can you tell me about your compatriot?
Scola: "Pablo is my friend and I'm very happy that things are going well for him.
He is a great player and last season we had him and Jose (Calderon). I am equally delighted that Jose has had a good season, I speak to him on occasions. I am always happy that good players who are also good human beings succeed. It doesn't always happen, but I wished it did."
FIBA: Would you agree this has been your finest season?
Scola: "It's not up to me to say. I don't like to talk much about myself. In every season there are good and bad things and at the end of it, I analyse it but I keep it to myself."
FIBA: Looking at the national team again, can you believe that you will be an Olympic champion for the rest of your life? Those victories over Greece, United States and Italy were incredible basketball spectacles.
Scola: "The Olympic gold medal meant a lot to my career and to me. It was an amazing achievement and an unforgettable experience. The Olympics is the greatest sporting event in the world."
FIBA: No one in international basketball will ever forget Argentina suffering an overtime defeat in the final to Yugoslavia at the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis four years ago. Will you capture the gold in Japan?
Scola: "It's going to be difficult for us, it's always difficult to remain at the top, almost impossible. There are ups and downs and it's important to find balance and deal with the downs in the best possible way. I hope the World Championship will be a positive experience for us."
FIBA: Are you worried that Ginobili, Oberto, Nocioni and Carlos Delfino might be tired from hard NBA campaigns?
Scola: "I'm not too worried about it. All the national teams have NBA players. It's neither an advantage nor a disadvantage."
FIBA: Have you grown weary from all of the discussion about you leaving Europe and playing in the NBA? Many experts believe you would walk into the starting line-up of most NBA sides.
Scola: "On the contrary, it's a beautiful feeling.When you have media attention, fans turning up to watch you play, it's what any player dreams of, to be a star, to feel important and to be in this type of situations. It's fantastic for me and I wouldn't have it any other way."
FIBA: Luis, your family must be very proud of what you have achieved but also how you have represented your club side Tau and your nation.
Scola: "My family are very happy for me, as long as I'm happy, they are happy."
By PA Sport, Exclusively for FIBA
ARG - Argentina star Scola thrives in spotlight with Tau Ceramica
PRAGUE (FIBA World Championship) - There's no bigger name in international basketball than Luis Scola.
The 2.07m forward is the leading light of Tau Ceramica in Spain and is the heart and soul of Argentina's national team.
On the day before Tau's Euroleague Final Four showdown with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Prague, Scola gave an exclusive interview to PA Sport's Cindy Garcia-Bennett and shared the secret of his success with club and country.
FIBA: Luis, what does basketball mean to you?
Scola: "After my family, basketball for me is everything. This sport has been with me since I was a child. I turned professional at 15 and I left home two years later, moved 10,000km away from Argentina to make a living in Spain. It represents everything to me."
FIBA: What has been the secret for you developing into one of the best players in the world?
Scola: "I train very hard. Before I go on the court I am focused and prepared for what awaits me. I know that hard work eventually pays off. I don't think there's any other secret. Hard work is the only way to succeed."
FIBA: How crucial was your former coach at Tau Ceramica, current Winterthur Barcelona boss Dusko Ivanovic, for your development into a top player?
Scola: "Ivanovic coached me for five years and logically, he is a big part in my career. He was there for me in the good times, the not so good times and the bad times.Without a doubt he has been important."
FIBA: You seem to have thrived under new Tau coach Velimir Perasovic as well.
Scola: "Whoever wants to be a good player has to learn from all of the coaches he has played under. I learned a lot from Ivanovic just as I have learned a lot from all the coaches I've had in my career."
FIBA: Ivanovic is renowned for making his teams work extremely hard in practices. How does he compare with Perasovic?
Scola: "They both do their job and I agree with them in the fact that you need focus and seriousness in this profession. It's just one way of understanding this job and I personally find it perfect. This doesn't mean that other systems don't work. I respect other working philosophies. Perasovic and Ivanovic are very serious and fantastic in what they do."
FIBA: Does their approach make their players more determined?
Scola: "They both have a winning mentality that all players need to have transmitted to them by our coaches to get out there and fight our best. It's not a bad thing to have a coach that pushes you hard."
FIBA: Was it a failure when Tau Ceramica finished last season without a trophy after playing in the Euroleague final against Maccabi Tel Aviv and in the ACB finals against Real Madrid?
Scola: "I don't like the word failure, it's a very ugly word. Not only those who became champions can claim to come out triumphant. Clubs, leagues and continents have different aims and goals and sometimes to finish second or third is a very good achievement."
FIBA: So winning isn't everything?
Scola: "What motivates me is to win titles, I think I speak for every player. You get the drive to continue by succeeding."
FIBA: Argentina are in a golden era of basketball and you are at the forefront of this with an Olympic gold medal to prove it. Your Tau team-mate is point guard Pablo Prigioni and he has been outstanding. Then there are players like Emanuel Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni. Did you drink a magic potion?
Scola: (Laughing) "Not at all. I think a good group came out and we were very fortunate that we all emerged at the same time and we were able to form a competitive national team. I don't think there's anything special , we are simply a good team. I just hope that future generations will find motivation in what we have achieved and this current group can continue to play at a high level and try and achieve success in international competitions. It's going to be very difficult but we will see."
FIBA: What a terrific story Prigioni has been this season. Tau's Jose Manuel Calderon went to the NBA along with Arvydas Macijauskas, yet your club side appears to have gotten stronger. Prigioni was the MVP of your Copa del Rey triumph. What can you tell me about your compatriot?
Scola: "Pablo is my friend and I'm very happy that things are going well for him.
He is a great player and last season we had him and Jose (Calderon). I am equally delighted that Jose has had a good season, I speak to him on occasions. I am always happy that good players who are also good human beings succeed. It doesn't always happen, but I wished it did."
FIBA: Would you agree this has been your finest season?
Scola: "It's not up to me to say. I don't like to talk much about myself. In every season there are good and bad things and at the end of it, I analyse it but I keep it to myself."
FIBA: Looking at the national team again, can you believe that you will be an Olympic champion for the rest of your life? Those victories over Greece, United States and Italy were incredible basketball spectacles.
Scola: "The Olympic gold medal meant a lot to my career and to me. It was an amazing achievement and an unforgettable experience. The Olympics is the greatest sporting event in the world."
FIBA: No one in international basketball will ever forget Argentina suffering an overtime defeat in the final to Yugoslavia at the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis four years ago. Will you capture the gold in Japan?
Scola: "It's going to be difficult for us, it's always difficult to remain at the top, almost impossible. There are ups and downs and it's important to find balance and deal with the downs in the best possible way. I hope the World Championship will be a positive experience for us."
FIBA: Are you worried that Ginobili, Oberto, Nocioni and Carlos Delfino might be tired from hard NBA campaigns?
Scola: "I'm not too worried about it. All the national teams have NBA players. It's neither an advantage nor a disadvantage."
FIBA: Have you grown weary from all of the discussion about you leaving Europe and playing in the NBA? Many experts believe you would walk into the starting line-up of most NBA sides.
Scola: "On the contrary, it's a beautiful feeling.When you have media attention, fans turning up to watch you play, it's what any player dreams of, to be a star, to feel important and to be in this type of situations. It's fantastic for me and I wouldn't have it any other way."
FIBA: Luis, your family must be very proud of what you have achieved but also how you have represented your club side Tau and your nation.
Scola: "My family are very happy for me, as long as I'm happy, they are happy."
By PA Sport, Exclusively for FIBA