Juan Carlos Navarro |
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There are times when we say "I have been lucky to coach this (or that) player" in somewhat a politically correct or a bit formal way. But I consider myself very fortunate to have coached and continue coaching two persons and players like Marcus Brown and Juan Carlos Navarro. Marcus Brown, until yesterday Euroleague's leading scorer of all times, was a concentrate of competitiveness, toughness before adversity, capacity of endurance through physical pain, intensity in his game on both sides of the basket and with a great ability to get the rest of his teammates involved especially in difficult times. Precisely because of the respect and consideration that I feel for Marcus, I like the fact that it is Juan Carlos Navarro the player who has taken over from him as top scorer of all times in the history of the Euroleague. I like on a personal level the fact that it has been him, I think it is right because from an historical perspective Juan Carlos is the player that best fits the role of leading scorer of a prestigious competition like the Euroleague and I also think it is good because as role models for all young basketball players it's those like Marcus and Juan Carlos that we should clone: because of their ability to be effective without requiring a lot of "special effects" (their being spectacular simply comes from their way of playing basketball) for their seriousness in the day to day, for their evident and infectious ability to put the team and its results ahead of any personal success (and playing as shooting guards, I assure you, it is not easy: I have met many of them…) and ultimately for being able to merge technical skills, competitive spirit and personal qualities, very difficult mix to find in a player not just in basketball but also in any sport. Juan Carlos has shown me in many situations, especially in the difficult ones, his involvement in the team's project, his ability to lead by example, with his presence in the toughest moments of a competition or a game, without talking too much yet knowing how to find, at the appropriate time, the necessary 4-5 words, no more, no less, to support the work of the coach. Probably the images that the basketball world has of Juan Carlos are his typical, incredible three pointers, his "bombs" shot in the face of centers twice as tall, his streaks that break a game when perhaps no one is expecting, but what I am especially grateful for of my experience in these three years with Juan Carlos, is something much less visible from the outside. It is his day to day, knowing how to be the leader of a team without needing to show it off, his ability to be both indisputable leader of the offense without being selfish, his balance, his serenity allowing him to be both very focused but also very much willing to burst laughing, very attentive in delighting the crowds with aesthetically beautiful moves but also very effective and very helpful in doing on the court what it takes to win, his confidence in his ability to overcome games which started in a bad way and turning them over by just having the patience to wait for the right time, his ability not to talk much but speaking very effectively when he does, his ability to be both a star and one of the team and, in addition to that, making people love him for the way he suffers and lives the difficult moments and defeats, even when his own score could shelter him from criticism or blame for the bad result. I see him in an excellent moment. Definitely in the last two seasons he has arrived to the summer's national team appointments in even better conditions than, for example, in my first year, three summers ago, and I think that the path in front of him may go even beyond the new agreement signed with the club of his life, which he has helped to win many titles in recent years. It has been and it is a privilege to work and live with Juan Carlos Navarro, and I hope that his passion for basketball, the way he approaches sport, competition and team life can be an example to all who are learning. |
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