Juancho Hernangómez, desperate after Spain's elimination: "I have to make a f... free kick."

The Spanish national basketball team concluded its participation in the worst Eurobasket in recent years this Thursday. In what was the last tournament with Sergio Scariolo as coach, "La Familia" was eliminated after losing 86-90 to Greece, in a decisive match that came after two previous defeats to Georgia and Italy.

Juancho Hernangómez, one of the players most singled out for his poor performance during the competition, didn't shy away from criticism and took responsibility after the match. "I made a lot of mistakes. This is the harsh side of sport. I take the blame for what happened in this tournament. I haven't been up to par. It's a failure," the Spanish captain admitted with absolute sincerity.

The younger Hernangómez's frustration was evident in his post-match remarks, when he stated: "The mistakes at the end. I have to make some fucking free throws. That's sport and its sour face." Despite taking responsibility, the Panathinaikos player also pointed out that the problem has been a collective one throughout the tournament: "We've lacked a bit of everything, not just today. Basketball is pretty fair. We didn't prepare well. We weren't at our best."

Recognition of young talents

Despite the poor result, Juancho Hernangómez wanted to highlight the work of the team's younger players: "I'm proud of the youngsters; they've stepped up their game and I hope it helps them," referring especially to Mario Saint-Supéry and Sergio De Larrea, who have shown glimpses of quality in their first experiences with the senior team.

Willy Hernangómez's reaction

For his part, Willy Hernangómez also appeared after the elimination, expressing a mixture of disappointment and hope: "It's very hard. I'm sure this will be an experience for the future. This hurts, but it's going to make us stronger. We had the hope of being in Riga, but it wasn't enough." The elder of the Hernangómez brothers thus points to a learning process for future international tournaments .