“Belgium and Canada are rivals at the level and height of what we need”

Spanish international basketball player Leonor Rodríguez described the Belgian and Canadian national teams on Thursday as “rivals at the level and height” of what the national team needs “at this time,” referring to the upcoming friendlies in Charleroi, just weeks away from facing the Paris Olympic Games with “a lot of unity” and “fighting for that desired place to be on the final list.”

“They are physical opponents, which I think suits us well. The current Eurobasket champion, Belgium, and another power like Canada. I think they are opponents at the level and height of what we need at this moment,” said Rodríguez from the Polideportivo Triángulo de Oro (Madrid), where she is preparing the next matches with her teammates.

The Canarian guard advocated continuing with “a lot of work and preparation” in this preparatory phase of “a lot of unity.” “We are all fighting for that desired position to get this definitive list,” she said before emphasizing that these next meetings in Belgium “will be very useful to see” where they are and “to continue working because there are still weeks left for the list.”

The Spanish team will arrive in Charleroi after a good performance in Vigo, having beaten Turkey and also China, a team they will face again in Paris 2024. Despite the resounding victory, Rodríguez warned that the Chinese “were missing two or three very important players, two of them starters.”

“They were also preparing, they had just returned from a long trip, and it was not a very realistic situation,” he explained about the Chinese team. He also pointed out that their objectives were “to improve and prepare” and “go down the right path.” “I think that this preparation match will not be the reality of the first group match in Lille,” he said of the Olympics.

“We have to continue with the mentality of working, being united and with a lot of enthusiasm above all, working to polish details, see what we are missing, what we have to improve and what we have to keep maintaining,” said Rodríguez, who then admitted to being “accustomed” to the various trips with the national team in its preparatory phase.

“I think that when we come to the national team we know what we are going to get. It is part of the process, it is part of the programming and we have to be prepared for everything,” she warned. “The important thing is that when we are on the court we give our best, we are available to the coach, the staff and we give our best and we help each other to be better prepared for the Olympic Games,” said Rodríguez.

The Canarian recently reached the figure of 122 international matches, making her the player from the islands to have worn the national team shirt the most times. “When I was little, Rosario Sánchez was the leading player I saw in the Canary Islands and at national team level. I admire her a lot and I know her personally,” she recalled.

“I feel very lucky and privileged to have worn this shirt for so many matches and in different cycles. I hope I can fulfil my next dream, which is to go to Paris,” concluded Rodríguez.