Magnano Resigns

[Kori Ellis]

Argentina basketball coach Ruben Magnano resigns

Thursday, November 4, 2004

Ruben Magnano, who coached Argentina to the Olympic basketball gold medal in Athens, resigned Thursday to accept a coaching job in Italy.

Magnano will take over Italian club Pallancancestro Varese, the Argentine Basketball Confederation said in a statement.

In just four years, Magnano transformed Argentina from a regional powerhouse to a team that twice beat a U.S squad of NBA players.

Magnano's team stunned the Americans with an 89-81 semifinals victory in Athens, preventing a U.S. team from winning gold for the first time since 1988. Argentina defeated Italy 84-69 in the championship game.

Argentina finished second at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, making history by becoming the first team to defeat a U.S. team of NBA players.

The country's emergence as a world basketball power coincided with the rise of star Manu Ginobili, who scored 29 points against the Americans in the semifinals win.

Ginobili, of the San Antonio Spurs, is one of three Argentine players in the NBA, along with Chicago Bulls forward Andres Nocioni and Detroit Pistons guard Carlos Delfino.

[deepsouth]

Sad news Kori, for me at least, and I think that for every other Argentine hoops fans too.
When will the NBA start hiring international coaches?

[Kori Ellis]

What motivated him to leave? Money?

[deepsouth]

Most certainly.
Magnano's contract had a clause giving him the option of unilaterally resign in case of a better economic offer.
He was making here around $3000 monthly, it is no hard to obtain a better offer than that.

[deepsouth]

There is an error in my previous post.
Magnano's salary was 3000 argentine pesos (1000 dollars) /month.
That is $12000 yearly.

[Kori Ellis]

WOW!

I guess you can't really blame him for leaving then. It's just sad though because he was doing such an incredible job with the Argentinean basketball program.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Damn I think the Spurs could have come up with more than 12K a year for him to be our offensive coordinator.

[xcoriate]

Hell I would have been happy if he came here with the sole purpose of teching pop how to utilise Manu effectively.

[smeagol]

This might be an eyeopener for some. Differential in salaries between the NBA and SouthAmerica are so huge . . . its mindboggling.

That's why the scouters for European teams grab talents at such young ages. I believe Scola left for Spain when he was 17. Just read something in an Argentine newspaper about Tau Ceramica giving a 15 yr. old Argie boy a 10 year contract for something like $3MM Euros.

Does the NBA have "junior programs"? Why can't the NBA scout for talents in LatAm at younger ages? They always seem to be behind the curve, having to fight with Euro Teams about buyout clauses because Euro Teams discover and grab talents at much younger ages.

[whottt]

Does the NBA have "junior programs"? Why can't the NBA scout for talents in LatAm at younger ages? They always seem to be behind the curve, having to fight with Euro Teams about buyout clauses because Euro Teams discover and grab talents at much younger ages.

It's better this way for the NBA, Europe and young international talent...right now the players coming over are by and large fundamentally superior to the Americans coming into the NBA out of high school and even a lot of colleges.

The NBA under Stern is too caught up in flash and trying to market an exciting brand of ball...if the NBA was signing young international talent those guys would probably be just as fundamentally weak by the time they were regular players in the NBA and the quality of the league would be even lower. This way is a blessing in disguise and because the players playing in the Euroleagues are fundamentally superior it will put pressure on the NBA and American colleges to get back to fundamental basketball without so much emphasis on dunking.

Those young players will still get paid this way, eventually...and they'll be better players because of the way they had to get to the NBA...and the NBA and Euroleagues will both wind up stronger leagues because of it.

[smeagol]

Point taken, Whottt