Sergio Hernandez: ''Serbia is my favorite to win"
Sergio Hernandez coached Argentina in three edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup and play the Final in 2019. Just before the Semi-Finals, he gave FIBA.basketball an interview to share his thoughts.
MANILA (Philippines) - There is no second-guessing Sergio Hernandez's resume.
As a coach with the Argentina national team, he made it to the Final at the most recent edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019. He also won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. He coached the national team from 2005 to 2010 and then from 2015 to 2021.
He finally retired after the Olympic Games in Tokyo in two years ago.
Coach Hernandez with Luis Scola
Hernandez coached legends like Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, and Facundo Compazzo against opponents like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dirk Nowitzki - and they held their own in those clashes. He has participated in three editions of the World Cup and knows as much as one can about competing in the event.
He granted FIBA.basketball half an hour at the Mall of Asia Arena just before the recent Quarter-Final game between Slovenia and Canada.
"WHAT IS VERY CLEAR IS THAT WHEN YOU WATCH BASKETBALL HERE IN THE FINAL PHASE OF THE WORLD CUP, YOU SEE THE BEST BASKETBALL OF THE YEAR."
What are you seeing on the court in this World Cup 2023 that was not there in the previous editions? What has been different?
Well, the difference this year is that new countries are being really super competitive. These countries are not new to basketball, of course, but now they can really compete with the best. I’m thinking about Germany, about Latvia. Those countries have basketball cultures but now, they can beat anybody and that was not the case before. Look at the Semi-Finals this year. We have four different teams compared to 2019 when we had Argentina, France, Spain, and Australia. New teams, new players and this is really positive. The game has not changed much but different teams played different styles. Germany and Latvia play with a low pace. Serbia and USA want to push the ball a lot.
But what is very clear is that when you watch basketball here in the Final Phase of the World Cup, you see the best basketball of the year. The passion for the national teams, the talent on those teams, the way the game is played in FIBA, with do-or-die games, you can not lose, so the teams really play together and the games are great. For me, this is the best basketball there is.
Who is going to win this year? And why?
For me, it is Serbia. They play better together and play better defense than the other teams. Remember, Lithuania scored 110 points against USA and only 68 against Serbia. For me, they are the number one candidate to win but USA are obviously very good and I like Germany a lot, too. But you asked for only one choice and mine is Serbia.
What is your opinion on what coach Pesic brings to this Serbian team?
First, I want to say that you could have another Serbian team formed of players that are not here and you would still play for the title in the World Cup. For coach Pesic, he’s doing an incredible job. When you are that competitive, I do not care how old you are. What matters is what you do every day, your routines, your day-to-day discipline. He’s coaching during the season, he’s fit, he’s ready. I’m really happy for him. Coaching is a very stressful job you know. But you can see that all of the players have bought in with him.
You know, watching this Serbian team, you can tell this is a Pesic team. Defense, focus, the ball going in, going out, good shot selection. On all this, he is one of the best coaches in FIBA history.
What does a team need to do to go to the Final?
In any team sport, the players are the most important thing. You may have the best coach, the best strategy… but you need the best talent. Then, you need an unselfish team. Everybody on the team must want only one thing: winning. There are a lot of egos in a national team. The players are used to being stars, good players in their clubs, with minutes, with shots. In a national team, they might be on the bench, only play 10 minutes and they still need to help the team despite their frustrations. It’s very important that everybody puts their egos on the side and that everybody stays together.
You have a lot less time to work compared to club basketball. You have 20 days to prepare so excellence in the execution is also very important. Talent, chemistry, compromise.
"FOR ME, LUKA IS ONE OF THE TWO BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW."
Is there a team that has surprised you in the World Cup?
Of course, Serbia is not a surprise… so I would say Canada. Not because they are not a very good team. They are. But they surprised me because they have mostly NBA players, a coach who is from Spain but who coaches in the NBA. He never coached in FIBA. And I thought before the tournament that they would have a very difficult time playing FIBA basketball. And they are playing well. This is not easy to do that. The rules are different, and the game is different. The three-second rule violation in defense alone changes the game so I’m surprised to see how well they play.
RJ Barrett against Slovenia
And Germany surprised me also when I saw how good they are. Last one, Latvia. They have talent but less talent than the other teams. So they need to play really together. They respect the system, the spacing, the movement, the timing. They play smart. They are disciplined. The coach Luca Blanchi has really done an excellent job.
Who is the most challenging player you have ever coached against?
I've coached against LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki but I’ve never felt so bad as a coach than when we played Luka Doncic at the Tokyo Olympic Games. I did not know what to do. We tried everything. We trapped him, played double-team, switched on the pick and roll. We guarded him with the small guys, with the big guys. He scored 31 points on us… in the first half. He finished with 48 points, and 11 assists. I’ve never seen anything like that. Unbelievable. For me, he’s the best player in the world right now with Nikola Jokic.
FIBA