Pepu Hernandez is leaving the national team after the Olympic Games

The primary responsibility of the successful World Cup Japan 2006 has announced he will leave the post of national coach after the Beijing Olympics.

Pepu Hernandez led the Spanish basketball selection at the top. It was high, but not at the top. Since 1999 Spain had to make very big tournaments, getting better, and made us dream that something could happen once huge. In those years we never got a title, although quite a few medals.

In 2003 Spain reached the final of Eurobasket, facing Lithuania, with war still giving Herreros. We lost the final in a bad game of our own, but having arrived there was synonymous with success. The Olympic Games 2004 started extremely well, winning every game in the first phase. But bad luck (or bad organization) depart that we faced as a prize to the U.S., who did the best match of the tournament and sent us on home (with Larry Brown calling a timeout at the last minute with the match sentenced).

Then we had a small failure in the Eurobasket 2005, which we did not medal.

Then came Pepu. It came from the house of students, achieving great results, taught his men to play as a team before thinking about yourself. And apply the same discipline to Gasol, Calderon, Navarro, Garbajosa and company. And with the mentality that we could do anything we went to Japan, the World Cup.

It seemed something of a dream. They crushed all his rivals. They not only won. They pounded. Please fell 20 points fell apart 30. It was unbelievable. Spain showed a relentless superiority against anyone who came across. Lithuania, Germany, Serbia ...

They reached the semifinals against Argentina and those we did have to suffer. Pau Gasol was injured late in the match and Calderon scored a free throw that put the score 75-74. The rest of the game is on this video:

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One of the most exciting matches I've lived. Argentina was the Olympic Campona.

Pau Gasol was seriously injured and missed the final against Greece, which eliminated the U.S. played like the USA. The ending was a lot of history since our motivadísimos left to give the victory to Pau Gasol (already Pepu Hernandez hours before he received the sad news of the death of his father).

Spain had reached the top. Pepu called basketball for us so we stopped football. Spain was the world champion.

And he could be in Europe if our luck had smiled. Playing much worse than the 2006 World Cup, Spain reached the final, where he played against Russia. But luck was with us in the failure of Nocioni we lacked in the last shot of Pau. Silver medal.

Now, Pepu, responsible for the success (as I said before we were on top but Pepu gave us that last push) said he's going. And Saez, proud and largemouth he has said that it was the best day to tell. Saez, worry about finding a worthy replacement and appreciates what he has done Pepu by selection.