PAR - Paraguay basketball lives a dream

ASUNCIÓN (FIBA Americas Championship) - For a country with only four teams in the first division, with 96 professional licenses registered at the confederation and no place in the FIBA World Rankings, to fight for a place in the Olympics with the traditional powerhouses of the FIBA Americas is a dream come true.

This is Paraguay.

The FIBA Americas zone has countries like Brazil, the Argentina and Puerto Rico. It has Canada, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Panama, Venezuela, Mexico, the Virgin Islands and the United States.

But it also has Paraguay, and what a story their coach has to tell!

He is a Spaniard, Arturo Alvarez.

And he will coach Paraguay in the FIBA Americas Championship for the first time since 1989.

Alvarez, however, has another role.

He is also the coach of Paraguay's women's team.

Alvarez spoke to Diego Rivero for FIBA.com.

How did you come to train two national teams?

Alvarez: I think they are coincidences in life that puts you in the right place and at the right time. After working with several ACB teams, I accepted the challenge of coaching a women's team in the LF2 - the second women´s league in Spain - where my team played Claudia Ponce, a Paraguayan international player. Two days later, I received a call from the president of the Paraguayan Confederation where he said he received a good recommendation of me from Claudia and asked if I wanted to take care of the two teams. I didn't have to think long about it and started working.

Tell us a little about the sport in Paraguay and it's standing there.

Alvarez: Until last year, it was in a stalled process with little ambition. The championship is short and has very few licenses of professional players. The basketball there is evolving. The success of the national teams in recent years and hard work in the offices of the confederation have led to the almost doubling the number of licenses. The championship is a pending subject because there are only four professional teams in the first division. The confederation is seeking formulas to improve thinking about the future, as the rule of 18 seconds per possession in lower grades in order to play faster. International coaches have chosen to transmit knowledge to local coaches and improve standards.

Which problems did you encounter when you began compiling the list of national team players?

Alvarez: The biggest problem that I found was the small number of players to select, although I must say that I have more than last year. Having only four teams in the first division is a major handicap to make a list because I do not have more than thirty names. The local championship allows only four players over 22 years old for each to enhance the future. I have only 16 players with first division experience so we must go for youth. Only two players compete abroad, Javier Martinez and Bruno Zanotti in Argentina. The rest is 100% of the Paraguayan league. We are the team with fewest players to select from for the FIBA Americas Championship.

How are Paraguay preparing for the FIBA Americas Championship?

Alvarez: We've made a draft of 18 players and they will start training on July 11 because the league is in full competition. We will have a week off and then have one and a half months of work. We have a tour in Argentina and will face the team that will compete in the championship, and the Argentina Under-19 team. We are about to finalize deals to have several games with international national teams.

How would you describe the style of game your team plays?

Alvarez: We will give continuity to the good work we did in the South American Championship. Paraguay last year came in fifth place. Our style of play is marked by the level of the players that we have and not what the coach wants. We get the best out of players like Javier Martínez, a guard that controls the game well. We have conformed to it. We make the most of the versatile Bruno Zanotti and the inside game of Guillermo Araujo. We have to have an organized style that doesn't have turnovers with great dedication and that will help us keep every game close and avoid heavy defeats. Any game that we win will be by a small margin.

With which weapons will Paraguay try to hurt opponents with?

Alvarez: We will try to tactically surprise opponents with a different defense every day. We'll try to have a very clear and organized attack and be able to read the game at all times, looking for the advantage. Being a country that is not well known in the basketball world has pros and cons. We have to play with the element of surprise. One advantage is that players can jump onto the court who are unknown and can surprise and hurt teams.

What are the expectations for Paraguay at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar del Plata?

Alvarez: The first objective is to enjoy something historic for the country. We have players who will be taking photos with their NBA rivals. It will be an historic occasion for many of them to play against some of their idols like (Argentina's) Manu Ginobili. Second, we expect to fight every game for an upset. The third and most important expectation is dreaming of moving to the next phase, which means needing to defeat one of the rivals in the group.

You are in the same group with Argentina, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Panama. Which rival do you think you'll have to beat to move to the next phase?

Alvarez: I want to be clear. Paraguay remains a country with virtually no FIBA ranking, so I can´t speak about manageable rivals for us. Argentina is 10 times above our level. Puerto Rico is a classic in all FIBA world events and it would be very difficult to beat them. Uruguay, if it takes the whole team, is a tough team to beat but we had a shot against them at the last South American Championship. The unknown is Panama, with (Bilbao's) Chris Warren having turned them down. We will see which team they bring. It's the last meeting and in theory, we are the two teams that nobody would count on. It would be fantastic if we had a chance to progress heading into our last game.

Alvarez doesn't like to talk about results, mainly because "Paraguay has never achieved anything, hence, anything would be an improvement" and appreciates the efforts being made by the Paraguayan Basketball Confederation for taking forward.

How far will be this team go in the championship?

We don´t know, but by the words of its coach we know that Paraguay will leave everything on the court.

The spirit and enthusiasm of Paraguayan basketball is changing.

As Alvarez said, "in Paraguay there´s a word for this - DREAM."

Diego Rivero
FIBA