Oberto: Patience required for Argentina's new generation

BUENOS AIRES (FIBA AmeriCup 2017) - Take it from Fabricio Oberto, a long-time player for Argentina who scaled the heights in international basketball and won an Olympic gold medal.

He says that if fans are fretting about what's going to happen next year and in the summers to follow, with just Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino as the only members of the golden generation still around, they should not be.

Teams undergo change. Everything is going to be okay.

"The boys are doing an excellent job but they still have a long way to go and many things to learn. But the most crucial thing is that they have a lot of hunger." - Oberto

The men's senior national team, Oberto says, is going to be just fine as it moves into a new era.

"We have to be patient," Oberto said in an interview on cabb.com.ar. "As much as we'd like to always have a player like those we had before, for example the next (Manu) Ginobili, those that are coming will be the best for the national team. That is what we have to focus on."

Ginobili and Andres Nocioni, members of the golden generation, played for the national team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. They retired from international basketball after Argentina's defeat to the United States in the Quarter-Finals.

Roberto Acuna went up against the best and played well in Rio

Oberto's first senior tournament with El Alma was in 1996 at the Atlanta Games. He needed time to develop into a world class center.

Six years later, he was instrumental as his national team reached the Final of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Indianapolis. He then helped Argentina capture the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Now 41 and retired as a player, Oberto has seen his former national team compete the past couple of summers. He watched this year while working as a television commentator in Rio and saw plenty of promise.

The biggest area of concern since Oberto's departure following the FIBA AmeriCup 2011 has been the interior play of Argentina. Power forward Scola, Argentina's flag-bearer in the opening ceremony at the Games in Brazil, is still with the program but is entering the final stage of his career.

There has been such a dearth of low post players that coach Sergio Hernandez called the unknown Roberto Acuna into the squad for Rio. He played well.

There is also the unheralded Marcos Delia. Both are undersized centers at 2.08m in height. They logged significant minutes at the five position this summer.

Oberto is a member of the FIBA Players' Commission 

Oberto, a member of the FIBA Players' Commission, saw a lot of positives in the play of all the Argentinian players in Rio.

"The boys are doing an excellent job but they still have a long way to go and many things to learn," he said. "But the most crucial thing is that they have a lot of hunger.

"What eventually takes you there is patience. And we had patience (in the confederation and with fans and media) on our side."

FIBA