Campazzo ready to lead Argentina in Americas qualifiers

BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) – Argentine point guard, Facundo Campazzo, will play his first qualifying matches for the FIBA Basketball 2023 World Cup. Due to the NBA season, Campazzo was not able to play in the first two windows of these Americas Qualifiers. Now, "Facu" is back with the Argentine team.

Campazzo has played for Argentina in many tournaments throughout his career. Most recently, he played in the 2019 World Cup and at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that were held in 2021.

"It means a lot to be back again. I really wanted to come back because of what we went through in Tokyo; it wasn’t our best tournament and we ended with a feeling of coming back to play. It’s a new time and a new coach. No Luis Scola, who means a lot for everyone, for the entire National Team," said Campazzo.

He also made a commitment to the national team: “Being able to be part of this team is very important, for the next generation of players, for the new ones and for Néstor. Now we must keep our identity, that way of playing, that DNA that we have been building for years. Coming back to the national team is a pleasure, it’s being with my teammates, with friends, be focused, have a good time, work hard during training as a team, this is the way to build a team."

Néstor García was introduced as Argentina's new coach, replacing Sergio Hernández. Due to Scola’s retirement, the team’s new captain became Facundo Campazzo, and he couldn't be more thrilled. “It made me very happy. It’s an honor to be the captain of the National Team. It happened too fast because I was in the middle of the NBA season. But I could never stop thinking about the privilege and pride I felt," he said.

"Right now, what we need is the leadership of each one of us: from those who have more experience, from those who don’t have as much and from our coach Néstor. Each one of us are leaders in our teams and standouts in our playing positions. We need to bring that to the team, for the benefit of the team."

Campazzo was once a young new player alongside some members of the Athens 2004 Olympics gold medal team. He now aims to lead those who are new to the national team. “I don’t talk much, but I think the Golden Generation taught us that it takes effort, sacrifice, respect, trust, and hard work to get a good result. It can go right or wrong, we can have good and bad tournaments, but I think the result of the hard work will take quite a bit of time for us. We have lost finals, but we got to play them and, we had good tournaments. Those of us who have more experience, can influence the younger ones, who also want to be part of this journey. It is a long process of several years to combine that experience with the desire to learn but good things are going to come out,” said Facu.

Campazzo debuted in the national team when Argentina hosted the FIBA South American Championship 2012. Although the coach was Julio Lamas, for that tournament Nestor “Che” Garcia was designated as coach. Ten years later, Facu and Che meet again to work together. “Néstor can keep everyone in a good mood and happy during practice. At the same time, he makes us work hard. It’s very important to have a coach like him because he gives us confidence and peace of mind. He knows how to handle the team, something that is very important. He has experience in different national teams and clubs, and we must take advantage of that."

Argentina will travel to Venezuela on June 30 and then to Panama on July 3. What does Campazzo expect from these games? To win. "These two opponents become very strong at home with their fans since they get that extra support. We must be prepared for that, and we must know that if we have a regular or bad game, we are not going to win, we need an excellent game."

Argentina has a new captain who will try to guide them with what he learned from his predecessor. Campazzo is already the leader of a team that is looking for new challenges and more glory.

FIBA