Lopez on a mission to put Beira structures back on track
FERROVIARIO da Beira and their Spanish coach Luis Lopez Hernandez have enjoyed a reunion that has brought about good tidings for the club located in central Mozambique.
While the 55-year-old Spaniard’s second coming to the Beira-based club had to do with matters related to the basketball court, there was also a more sentimental reason for Lopez’s decision to return to Mozambique.
“There were a couple of things. Firstly, my family. My wife was born in Mozambique. My daughter, who is almost four, was born in Spain, and she has never been to Mozambique. So, I wanted her to connect with her family there. This is an opportunity for my wife and daughter to experience the country,” said Lopez speaking from the Canary Islands via Zoom, last Wednesday.
The second reason for Lopez, who led the Locomotivas to two national championships in 2012 and 2014, was the opportunity to work again with the current club president Valdemar Oliviera.
For some time, Beira’s playing structures had gone off the rails. Oliviera, who returned to the club’s presidency via election was on a mission to put them back on track. Returning to a familiar leadership and the challenge of a renewal project was enough to entice Lopez to get on board.
“Boaventura (Mahave), the president in 2019, called me to come back but I was in two minds at the time. Then an election happened, which Valdemar won. That made my decision easy because I had worked with him before,” said Lopez. “So the first reason to return was for my family. The other was so I could work with Valdemar again. When I signed in 2020, it gave us the chance to resume our discussion about our project, involving the senior teams and the lower structures as well.”
Lopez added that before he left Ferroviario da Beira in 2015, they were teeming with players in the male and female teams. He now looks forward to being part of reviving the Beira player pipeline.
“We had 450 players in our club. From junior boys and girls, the cadets and mini-basket. We had many children playing basketball. When I left, somehow it got lost. So when the president came back to the club, I knew he wanted to revive the structures that were present six-seven years ago,” said Lopez, who has been coaching since the age of 18.
Lopez, who has worked with teams that have representation at all levels was also impressed that some players from the junior setup had made their way to the Beira senior squad.
“Basketball is my life. When I worked in Spain, I coached clubs that have all teams. I enjoy helping players develop,” said the experienced Lopez, who led Beira to another national title last year. “When I came back (to Beira), I recognised three players in the first team, who come through the ranks. They were around 12-years-old when I arrived in 2011. Now they are in their early twenties, and I am coaching them. That is something that makes me proud.”
View this post on Instagram
While the long-term vision for Beira is still in its infancy, the Mozambican club’s senior men’s team have grown wings and qualified for the second edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Lopez oversaw Beira’s impressive qualifying run in the Zonal and Elite 16 Division East tournaments, held in South Africa between October and December. Their only blip was against Tigers in the Zonal qualifiers. Beira would avenge that defeat in the semi-final of the Elite 16 as the Mozambican club finished that leg unbeaten.
Speaking about the qualifying experience, Lopez says he had introduced some changes to how the team approached the game.
“I am happy with our team because we improved a lot. Our first official practice was in July. I could not join the team earlier because of the pandemic. So, I sent many exercise videos to prepare the team. I also received daily feedback from the assistant coaches,” said Lopez, who elaborated on the training program. “We started with a physical program in March last year. Then we moved to improve the players’ skillsets and shooting technique. When I arrived in July, we worked on our tactical approach.”
He added, “I was surprised because at how the team adapted to a new way of playing the game, especially when we started our journey in Mozambique. It’s not easy for players to change a philosophy or style that they have known all their life. In the end, we improved a lot, which we showed in Johannesburg by how we moved and shared the ball.”
Beira’s preparation for the BAL extravaganza started in earnest last week. Unfortunately, their practices have been without their coach Lopez and the team’s key import players in American point guard Will Perry and Canadian guard and forward Jermel Kennedy.
Lopez, who was still resolving his visa matters, expects Perry and Kennedy back for the national championships in February.
“The team started together last week, without myself and the two foreign players. We are getting ready for the national championships that start in February and finish in March. That will be our preparation (for the BAL). Hopefully Will and Jermel will be back for the nationals,” said Lopez, who expects to bolster the squad with two new players for the BAL tournament taking place in Dakar, Senegal (March 5-15), Cairo, Egypt (April 9-19) and Kigali, Rwanda (May 21-28).
“We want to sign two other players from the continent to complete our team for the BAL. One of them must be able to play at the five position. Also we need someone who can operate outside, a player for the three and four position,” said Lopez, who emphasised what his team required. “We need size. We are not a tall team. The two players we need to sign must be a five and the other a perimeter player, but tall. They must also be players that fit our style of play.”
On the expectations at the BAL tournament, Lopez approached the question with a touch of realism.
“Our goal or expectations are always the same. Every team wants to win, but there can only be one victor at the end. My only concern is that we do our best. That is our goal. We want to do our best every day and in every game,” concluded Lopez.
We have already gotten a glimpse of Beira at their best. It’s hard to find fault with their brand of basketball. With new additions to the team, they can only get better. They may not have the favourites tag, but given how Beira play, they can easily determine how far they go in the BAL tournament.
Lopez on a mission to put Beira structures back on track Read More »
