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| Spain will have added pressure to win EuroBasket 2007 after claiming gold in Japan. | ||||
Gold is yet to come... Spain has experienced great moments in past continental competitions, but they have never managed to come back from a EuroBasket with a gold medal. After lifting the World Championship trophy last summer in Japan, Spain hopes EuroBasket 2007 will make that dream come true. Until then, it’s always good to remember how Spain astonished Europe with an unexpected Silver medal in EuroBasket 1973, played in Barcelona, beating a legendary Soviet Union and challenging the Yugoslavian aces before getting beaten in the final (78-67). Three more silver medals followed: EuroBasket 1983 and EuroBasket 1999 (both losses to Italy) and more recently in EuroBasket 2003, when Jasikevicius, Stombergas, Macijauskas & a great Lithuanian side stepped between Spain and the trophy.
Biggest EuroBasket Disaster
Only one year before climbing to the top of the World Championship podium, Spain was shocked in Belgrade. It was not about good or bad final results (ranking 4th without Pau Gasol is nothing catastrophic), but the ending was horrible. First Nowitzki destroyed Spain’s gold medal hopes with a winning shot with two seconds left in the semi-finals. Then France destroyed Spain in the bronze medal game with a 98-68 drubbing. But Spain has not lost since, firing coach Pesquera and starting a new era with Pepu Hernández which would eventually lead to a World Championship.
Best Individual Performance/Best Player of All-Time
Pau Gasol, no matter what, is the best player for Spain. He will play his third EuroBasket after making his debut in 2001 and leading Spain to the bronze medal. Two years later, he led Spain to silver success. Now he is looking to take Spain to the only result he deems acceptable, a gold medal. Since he joined the Spanish National Team in 2001, he has lead Spain to a 31-6 record in official games, averaging 20.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 63.1% on two-point shots along the way. The NBA star combines his 2.15 m with unexpected quickness and skills to become an unstoppable player in the low post as well as a threat running the floor. Unlike other NBA stars, Gasol’s playing style fits perfectly in the European game, joining Nowitzki as the most dominating player of the last few years.
Scouting Report
Spain is a fun team to watch. When you switch the TV on or reach the arena to see Pau and Co. you will likely enjoy several dunks and a couple of alley-oops, some deadly assists, at least eight to ten long range bombs and even more electric fast breaks. Creativeness, team effort and talent have been the recipe for the Spanish National Team’s success under the coaching of Pepu Hernández. With him on the bench, all players are involved in the game, feel important and take offensive responsibilities. Pau Gasol is the leader but the Spanish game is not only about feeding him in the low post. Calderón and Sergio Rodríguez are masters of the pick and roll, Navarro is a basketball magician, Rudy Fernández jumps over everybody, Jiménez is the glue that holds the team together from the forward position and Felipe Reyes and Marc Gasol can battle anyone in the low post.
So there you have it: a great combination of outside and inside players that one year ago rallied over the best teams in the world to earn the World Championship. However, there is something that concerns Hernández and Spanish basketball and that is the absence of power forward Jorge Garbajosa, a key man on the team who will probably miss the tournament due to injury. Garbajosa’s unique skills among Spanish players will lead Pepu Hernández to change his style of play. Felipe Reyes and Pau Gasol, a great duo, might play together a lot more, which results in losing some outside dimension.
Likely Squad
On March 26th, Jorge Garbajosa twisted his ankle in a very serious injury that will keep him sidelined until next October. Unless there is an unexpected miracle, the starting power forward for the 2006 World Championship won’t be able to help Spain in its new quest for a EuroBasket title. That is the biggest concern for Pepu Hernández. There is nobody like him -not even close - in Spanish basketball. So what now? Hernández will probably choose between Jordi Trias, a power forward who can do a bit of everything and was recently named King’s Cup MVP, Fran Vázquez, a very athletic 4-5 who missed the 2006 World Championship due to injury but played a big role in EuroBasket 2005, and Iker Iturbe, an undersized “4” who excels shooting the basketball.
If you were a National Team head coach and 12 players lead you to the World Championship title and continued to play well for their club sides, what would you do? You would call them back, wouldn’t you? That is what Pepu Hernández will probably. Point guards José Manuel Calderón, Sergio Rodríguez and Carlos Cabezas, shooting guards Juan Carlos Navarro, Rudy Fernández and Berni Rodríguez, small forwards Carlos Jiménez and Alex Mumbrú and centers Pau Gasol, Felipe Reyes and Marc Gasol will probably be back to the team along with a to-be-decided replacement for Garbajosa.
However, Hernández’s decision will not be easy. Real Madrid’s playmaker and former NBA player Raül López, who has not played with the National Team since 2002 because of injuries, had a huge season in helping his team to the ULEB Cup title and leading the ACB in assists. Also young prodigy Ricky Rubio, who will be just 16 by the time the EuroBasket is played, is knocking at Pepu’s door. The MVP of the U16 European Championship 2006 has led the Euroleague and ACB League in steals and plays a main role for a high level team at DKV Joventut Badalona. They will battle with Sergio Rodríguez and Carlos Cabezas for two spots. Fernando San Emeterio, Carlos Suárez and Sergi Vidal are other candidates for a shooting guard/small forward spot, although it’s not likely they will make the team unless there is an injury.
Prediction
Despite Garbajosa’s absence, Spain is still considered the favourite to win gold at EuroBasket 2007. Their success as 2006 World Champions, playing at home and the value of a solid group of players that continue to improve are the main reasons to believe in a Spanish win. However, Spain will have to deal with huge pressure and big opposition from other high-level squads.
Last 10 FIBA Events
2006 - World Championship Saitama, Gold Medal
2005 - EuroBasket Belgrade, 4th
2004 - Olympics Athens, 4th
2003 - EuroBasket Stockholm, Silver Medal
2002 - World Championship Indianapolis, 5th
2001 - EuroBasket Istanbul, Bronze Medal
2000 - Olympics Sydney, 9th
1999 - EuroBasket Paris, Silver Medal
1998 - World Championship Athens, 5th
1997 - EuroBasket Barcelona, 5th
