Ibon Navarro and Adam Hanga don’t know about rest in summer. The Baskonia player and coach are in Hungary, at the birthplace of Adam participating in a development campus for young people between 16 and 18.
They are working with a group of 17 young mostly Hungarian players who as Hanga says “they dream of becoming professional players and are all very hungry to learn”.
The Campus is being celebrated for the first time during these days, but Hanga says that they want to “grow and continue to work for this activity to be performed more years”. Another reason for greater duration is that “in a few days is difficult to assimilate so much information”.
The Campus starts at 08:30 am and at 09:00 am offensive and defensive training takes place. “We have coaches like Ibon Navarro and we also work with Greek and Swiss coaches” said Hanga. The young, during training hours, perform individual and personalized work with the coaches… After the morning’s workout it’s time to regain strength to return to work in the afternoon. “The coaches team is composed of four national coaches and five foreigners” explains the Baskonia player, so detail and care is thorough.
Hanga added that he believes these kids have “a future in their country. Some are talented players who have a chance to play basketball at a high level. Others, however, only know the basics”.
The experience has been very positive for all youngsters and they showed interested in how the season has gone for Adam Hanga in Vitoria although “they were a little shy”. The baskonista notes that “they are curious and I’m glad to answer them but I do not work as a teacher because I have much to learn and that’s why they have the coaches”.
The player also appreciates the work by Ibon Navarro. “He works really hard, puts on a clinic, shows them video …. I’m so glad he came to help us” he explains.
For its part, Navarro did not hesitate to go two days to Hungary to work with these guys when he was asked by the Baskonia player. “The campus is organized by the Hungarian Federation and Adam asked me to join. It’s not much time. It’s well organized, the hotel is near the pavilion, the facilities are good … It gets very hot these days around here but it is what it is” explains the vitorian coach.
Navarro describes the group he is working with and notes that “physical level is great, talent level is varied because there are younger and older guys”.
The coach can see some differences between here and what he has experienced in Hungary. “Here there is greater knowledge of the game and talent, but physically they can be better in Hungary. They are tall and with great bodies. They listen a lot and are eager to learn, even though the language barrier” says the coach.
Ibon works with other coaches and adds that the boys “are not used to hearing English in a basketball court. It costs a bit but there is always a coach who helps translating and everything becomes more dynamic”.
The coach also explains his work. “Yesterday I gave a clinic on tactics and individual technique applied to the pick & roll for coaches and then did a practice of an hour and a half to apply the concepts. We have also trained with ideas to develop the counterattack in young teams, teams in which there is a young center who can’t move or in which everyone is able to handle the ball”.
