AUS - Ingles thrives in the company of greats

BARCELONA (Olympics) – When Joe Ingles goes to work every day, he looks a kid that’s on his way to a candy store.

It’s a real treat for the Australian to play basketball in Europe, and especially with a leading club like Barcelona.

Many a great player has worn the Barca shirt over the years and many still do, like Spanish basketball icon Juan Carlos Navarro.

Ingles has no complaints about the situation he currently finds himself in.

“Any kid that plays basketball wants to be in the NBA,” he says to FIBA.com.

“Right now, I'm in Europe but if that opportunity to get there were to come up, I'd definitely have a crack and see what happens.

“But I'm comfortable here, playing with a great team and training with these guys.

“I get to defend (Juan Carlos) Navarro every day which is going to make my game step up another level.”

Rubbing shoulders with EuroBasket 2011 MVP Navarro on a daily basis would make any player improve.

“He's so small,” Ingles says.

“(Australia point guard) Pat Mills plays with confidence but Navarro has been playing for so many years and achieved so much and still has a lot left in him.

“He's going to be around for a little while longer and hopefully I'll be with him and be a part of his supporting cast.”

If Ingles, a 2.03m forward, is taking his new heights because of his experience in Spain, then that’s good news for the Aussies because coach Brett Brown will need everyone to step up to a new level at the London Games if the country is going to claim the medal that has so far eluded the men’s teams at the Olympics.

The Boomers have come close.

They reached the Semi-Finals of the Olympics in 1988 (Seoul), 1996 (Atlanta) and 2000 (Sydney), but then lost their bronze medal games each time.

Getting better

Ingles, 24, should be a better player than he was in Beijing when former coach Brian Goorjian sprung a surprise and included him in the squad.

He finds it hard to believe that his Olympic debut came four years ago.

“Time is flying,” Ingles says.

“I was obviously pretty lucky in Beijing with a couple of guys in my position getting injured.

“It was a good experience for me and hopefully after playing in Europe three or four years will allow me to contribute more.”

What should remain the same for the Boomers in London is the way they go about their business on the court.

Australian basketball players are known fighters, players that are willing to get after all opponents no matter how celebrated they may be.

“The best thing about playing for Australia is how hard we play,” Ingles says.

“We don't really care if we are playing the (United) States, Spain or whoever - we're going to play hard.”

No rest for the weary

Ingles had to change gears immediately this year with Barcelona being taken to five games in the Spanish Liga Endesa Finals against Real Madrid.

It was an exciting series and Barca had to pull out all stops to win.

They trailed 2-1 in the series but won Game 4 in Madrid and then captured the title with a Game 5 triumph at the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona.

Most of the players looked exhausted after that championship and have been able to rest, but not Marcelo Huertas of Brazil or Ingles.

Each left almost immediately to link up with his national team.

“For an Australian, representing your country is the biggest thing you can do,” Ingles said.

“It was a goal growing up for me and everyone else in the team.

“We all get along.

“Everyone in the team is a great guy.

“After a long season with Barcelona, you're tired but it's a lot of fun to get with the national team.”

Ingles says his approach with Australia is the same with Barcelona.

“For me, it wasn't a problem coming to Barcelona,” he says.

“I'm not a player that wants to score 30 points a game or be a star.

“All I want is to win and contribute where I can and fill a role which for me is defensively, and to make some open shots, a few plays on offense.”

His aim this summer?

“My goal is to help Australia do what they have never done before, and that is get a medal,” he said.

FIBA