Former star Espil determined to help Argentina
BUENOS AIRES (FIBA Americas Championship/CABB) - Juan Espil once powered Argentina's national team with his lights-out shooting from long range. Now the former star is set to help them off the court.
BUENOS AIRES (FIBA Americas Championship/CABB) - Juan Espil once powered Argentina's national team with his lights-out shooting from long range.
Now the former star is set to help them off the court.
With Argentina's national team program is in a delicate stage and the Argentina Basketball Confederation (CABB) in the midst of a shakeup, Espil has accepted an offer to become the governing body's new sporting director.
The 46-year-old, famous for his days in the Argentina shirt when he played at the 1994 and 1998 FIBA Basketball World Cups, and the 1996 Olympic Games, is best known for his red-hot shooting displays with the national team.
At the 1996 Atlanta Games, Espil averaged 22.6 points per game for Argentina and drilled 48.2 percent (27 of 56) of his three-point attempts.
One of his Argentina teammates in the 1998 FIBA Basketball World Cup squad was Manu Ginobili, a player who would six years later become the MVP of the 2004 Olympics.
Ginobili tweeted congratulations to Espil as the "brand new sporting director (director deportivo)".
Felicitaciones al flamante DD! RT @cabboficial: Juan Espil ya es Director Deportivo de CABB. http://t.co/7wnWi83PL9
— Manu Ginobili (@manuginobili) December 4, 2014
Espil has been working as the sporting director with Liga Nacional club Bahia Basket.
He admits he is learning the ropes.
"I need to continue to learn because even at Bahia, I was on a learning path," he said.
"This was my second year in this role."
One thing that Espil is not short of is enthusiasm and determination.
"I'm really looking forward to this," he said.
"We're forming an important group of people that can bring forward this situation.
"I felt as though I needed to be there.
"I believe that everyone involved in basketball should have an input in order to bring forward this organization.
"It will not be easy, but I like challenges."
Because of the need for the country to have new stars, a lot of work is going to be put into Argentina's youth programs.
"Our priority is to develop the youth teams," he said.
"We have the replacements (for the senior players). I have no doubt about it.
"We just have to find them and bring out their potential.
"We all have to work in order to push the ball forward. We have wasted a lot of time and now we must recover it. From now on, a new chapter begins."
FIBA