Semi-Final Preview: Argentina

CORDOBA (FIBA AmeriCup 2017) - Argentina arrived at the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 Semi-Finals that will take place this weekend in the Orfeo Superdome in the Argentine city of Cordoba, right after competing in Group B in Bahia Blanca. The side coached by Sergio Hernández will be locals once again and will face Mexico in Semi-Finals.

Argentina won their three Group Phase games; they first beat Venezuela (67-62), then Canada (92-86) and then they triumphed over Virgin Islands (104-58), even though this last team debuted with an outstanding victory against the Canadian team (82-70). They then lost against Venezuela (84-86) and couldn’t win against the locals, but they got their pass to the Final Four thanks to Canada’s victory against Venezuela in the first game of the leg’s last day. On few occasions has a team with only one victory in a qualifying phase achieved their pass to the Semi-Finals.

Argentina —without the pressure to qualify — played as though they had to win their pass into the Group Phase. Their impressive character was portrayed in this new generation of players, especially in the game against Canada.

During the Argentine National Team’s first steps in Group B, they suffered the Venezuelans' physical game and depended too much on Gabriel Deck. Later, in the following matches, Coach Sergio Hernández looked for a solution in formation changes and had good results from the bench. With Lucio Redivo and Patricio Garino he could find a better offensive game alongside constant performer Facundo Campazzo, who was paramount during the final minutes in the Venezuela and Canada games as well.

The Argentine National Team —a team that’s presently rebuilding— arrive at the FIBA AmeriCup 2017 with Luis Scola as captain, who hasn't been able to play because of his two sustained injuries: one in a friendly match before the tournament and another one at Bahia Blanca. They have centers Facundo Campazzo and Nicolás Laprovittola as current team leaders, who have directly coincided with the previous generation of players who achieved many outstanding feats and is known as the “Golden Generation”. And yet, their roster averages 23-years of age. These new players want court time and are showcasing their abilities in the midst of the Argentine’s rebuilding for upcoming tournaments. Facundo Campazzo led the efficiency statistics with 21.7 in the team that ranks sixth place in the NIKE FIBA World Ranking. During these games, he's averaged 16-points per game and 7 assists; while Gabriel Deck leads in rebounds with 6.0. He’s also stood out —before the injury he sustained last game— with an average of 19-points in ach encounter. Also, Patricio Garino was very important for the Argentine team, with 17.3 in points, Nicolás Brussino with 4.3 in rebounds, and Luca Vildoza with 3.5 assists.

FIBA