BY ABBY TORALBA
NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns of the Dominican Republic is convinced his team is slowly showing its real worth in the 19th FIBA World Cup.
“We have a special team. Everyone counted us out. They didn’t think we could be great but in practice, one of the best coaches in the world in (Nestor Garcia), believed that we could do something amazing,” Towns said after the Dominicana clobbered Angola 75-67 in Group A action yesterday. “I think the world’s gonna notice now how great a coach he is.
“I just told myself this is a great game to work on your mental game and your focus, you know. There’s a lot of adversity thrown at me. I just went to work on myself,” he added.
The Dominicans completed a 3-0 sweep of their group phase stint, including a stunning 87-82 victory over world No. 10 Italy last Sunday night.
The 7-foot Towns found himself in foul trouble, committing three early fouls but his teammates got the job done.
Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves finished with eight points, two rebounds, and one assist in 15 minutes.
“This is a good time to work on myself, why not today. We make some history and give our country a chance to be in the second round. (I just) kept my cool, kept my composure. I know my moment will come right at me,” he said. “It is the FIBA World Cup and if there’s anything I’ve always wanted the guys to know.
“He Garcia) stressed to us a lot, this is not about stats or it’s not about the awards. This is about bringing our country pride and putting us in a place that no one thought we could be at.”
