SAN JUAN (William Rosario's Somewhere in the Americas) - Ok, I can admit they can be a bit much...

They were there weeks prior to the start of the championship and are still talking about, but you have to give it to them...their enthusiasm was unique in Spain 2014. Media members from Argentina were one of the stories of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

I've now been dealing for some years with Argentinean media and I can say there's nothing like their collective curiosity. It's wonderful, but even I could not foresee what was going to happen in Spain.

My journey in this 2014 World Cup started in Sevilla, where the third ranked basketball national team was expected to go out swinging in a Ginobili-less roster, now comprised of four legendary veterans (Scola, Nocioni, Prigioni and Herrmann) and the much talked about new generation.

The Group Phase venue must have felt like home to them. Thirty minutes before tip off there were thousands of fans singing, waving flags and cheering the national team's every move. The Palacio Municipal Deportivo San Pablo was at least eighty percent for Argentina...but so was the media tribune.

They ended up being the second most credentialed media in the World Cup after the ones from the host country, so it became intriguing to people. How did they do it? (Literally how?) With the Argentinean peso being 1/10 to the Euro, and the championship being a 16 day event...it's tough economically even on top media entity reporters. So I asked around and their method was beautiful.

Just like the Golden Generation rose to number one in the world ten years ago in Athens, these writers, photographers, commentators and producers did it through team work. They rented houses and became roommates (up to 10 in one place), went to supermarkets and then cooked for each other.

It is interesting though to think about a sport that is not even the second in order of importance in Argentina, being followed by so many media members around the world, sacrificing so much to be there, to document their national team.

Their makeup is also impressive. It really runs the game. These are men and women of all ages, interested in every facet of the game. They will interview just about anyone, current and former players, coaches, referees, directives, local organizing committee workers and even fellow media members. They can put everything into context, keep record of every basket and every win. They can also question just about any decision, fight for exclusives, passionately praise their team and overreact with their downfalls.They are media members after all.

But the great thing about Argentineans is that it doesn't stop with their team. And this is what separates them from the rest. Once their national team was eliminated in a heart breaking loss against eternal foe Brazil, one would've thought they would be immediately booking flights back to their country...but that wasn't the case. I foolishly made the mistake of assuming I would not find them requesting to be approved for the final two games. I came from the Final Phase in Barcelona, ran into one of them in the hall and confidently asked: "How many of you are still here?"...the answer: "All of us are still here!"

I chuckled, and apart from the immediate organizational trouble I knew it was going to creat, I actually admired their genuine appreciation of the game and the importance they give to those "I was there" moments. They remained, asked question to the Serbians and North Americans and did their job, with their boys long gone.

The Golden Generation is largely responsible for this. Their triumphs and achievements for the last 15 years have given basketball in Argentina true weight. Not only the players became world class, but so did their media. They now have a sense of responsibility to the game that is unique at least in the Americas. No media in the continent follows world basketball like the Argentineans. They will report on everything, Euroleague draw, FIBA Asia Championships and youth tournaments all over the world, just to name a random few. Their respect and competition to be the better-versed and knowledgeable media members in the world is a microcosm of the drive their national team has shown in the court in this magical run.

One can only hope that media in other countries in the Americas can elevate their game to have this drive. We would all benefit. Including players who would in turn have to respond to educated media. It would force them to grow, learn to express themselves and be eloquent. There is nothing better than hearing basketball players that can carry ideas and put together sentences outside of the court. Argentineans are top of the line in these sense too. They can talk. This is because of their media, they have forced them to mentally evolve. It is a two-way street.

Now that the Golden Generation took a curtain call in this 2014 World Cup, it is nice to see Argentina still present in the biggest stage of them all. No matter how much I fight with you guys in the trenches, I appreciate your commitment. You make breathing and living basketball in the Americas better.

William Rosario

FIBA

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