Angola coach preaches focus amid rare shot at Olympic slot in FIBA World Cup
MANILA, Philippines – Keeping his team’s focus in the game against Gilas Pilipinas was pivotal for the team, Angola head coach Pep Claros said, as he took it upon himself to complain to the referees about some calls.
Claros underscored that a chance to play for a slot in the Olympics seldom comes for an African team, which is why Angola needed to stay focused and composed in the game.
“African teams, it is very difficult to play for the Olympics. And, if we lose today, we do not have that opportunity,” the spirited coach told reporters after the Angolans pulled off an 80-70 win over the host nation in their FIBA World Cup collision Sunday night.
“The teams we want to develop to one day reach the level of the other teams… Imagine that they have to stay five years [before] playing in international competitions [again] so I think I was very frustrated with some calls, but it is also a part of the game,” he added.
“I told my players that I will keep insisting to the referees, but they have to keep calm and focus.”
Throughout the game, Claros was seen on the court complaining about some calls against his team.
He was eventually called for a technical foul as he sarcastically asked for a travelling call on Gilas star Jordan Clarkson at the 4:43 mark of the third quarter.
During the post-game press conference, Claros reiterated how important it is for Angola to play for the Olympics.
“If today we lose, we know that we are out of the Olympics. In our case, we are betting for the young guys and everybody except two players are very young and they will be here in the next 8, 10 years. Imagine if we lose today, they do not have the possibility to play Olympics until Los Angeles 2028,” he said.
“Can you imagine that you will not see these guys in the next five years. So we were very concerned about that, that’s why this game is very, very important,” he added.
Angola currently sports a 1-1 win-loss slate and will battle it out with the unbeaten Dominican Republic (2-0) on Tuesday.
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