Spain looks for another Asian successtitle

Spain dreams again about Asian success. Two years after winning the FIBA World Championship in Japan, the 'Golden Boys' will look for another historic success in Beijing.

There are numerous reasons to believe that Spain are good enough to go all the way at the Beijing Games. Four years ago, remember, this national side went undefeated in the preliminary round and looked good bets for gold before falling victim to a very hot-shooting Stephon Marbury in the quarter-finals. The Spanish left the Athens Games with smoke coming out of their ears after being eliminated in that 102-94 defeat to the United States.

Most of those same players are still with the Spain team, including Pau Gasol, the top scorer of the 2004 Olympic Games who two years later led the group to its finest hour - a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship in Japan. Gasol was voted MVP of that event and he will once be a leader of the Spanish in Beijing. He is one of the most talented and skilful big men in the world, a seven-footer who has great athleticism and impressive low-post moves. Forget the fact that he is coming off his longest season in the NBA after reaching the finals with the Los Angeles Lakers. He can't wait to play in China. "I want an Olympic Medal hanging from my neck," he said. "I am really hoping for it and I will take it very seriously."

Spain have a very deep roster, one that is loaded with players who have NBA and ACB connections. Jose Manuel Calderon of the Toronto Raptors will be just as important as Gasol in China. He thrived last summer at EuroBasket 2007 and was on his way to becoming the MVP before JR Holden's jump shot bounced off the rim and backboard, and then fell  through the hoop to capture gold for Russia and leave Spain with silver. Alongside Calderon in the backcourt is scoring machine Juan Carlos Navarro, who has decided to return to Barcelona after just one year in the NBA. Navarro averaged 14.0 points per game at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Rudy Fernández of ULEB Cup and Spanish Copa del Rey winners DKV Joventut, a high-flyer who has decided to go to the NBA for 2008-09 to play for Portland, is another explosive player while former Utah Jazz playmaker Raül López of Real Madrid is back in the National Team. López had two serious knee operations that left his career in jeopardy but has battled back and is no doubt thrilled to be an Olympian. The youngest member of the national side is 17-year-old Ricky Rubio, a player who excelled under recently-appointed coach Aito Garcia Reneses at DKV.

Carlos Jiménez has been the starting small forward for years, a player who has been described as glue of the team. The Unicaja Malaga man has been a great defender, rebounder and most importantly, a team player. Real Madrid sharpshooter Alex Mumbrú will back him up. Joining Gasol in the frontcourt are Jorge Garbajosa, Felipe Reyes and Marc Gasol, the younger brother of Pau. Garbajosa, a key player in this team for years, has endured a tough year which saw him miss virtually the entire campaign after an operation on his leg. His desire to play for Spain, and the uncertainty over his injury, led to Garbajosa's departure from Toronto. Whether he will be in top form once the Olympic tournament tips off remains to be seen.

Felipe Reyes is a power forward/center whose aggressive game has made him the leader of Real Madrid. Perhaps the most intriguing player to watch this summer will be Marc Gasol, the last person to make the gold-medal winning side at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and one who has gotten better in the two years since. This year, he enjoyed a dramatic improvement at Akasvayu Girona and has parlayed that performance into a move to the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA - the former team of his brother. Marc Gasol was voted MVP of the ACB this season.

As for García Reneses, he is the former boss at FC Barcelona and DKV Joventut (the club he stepped down from at the end of the season). He has replaced Pepu Hernández, who was fired just two months before the Olympics following deterioration in his relationship with his bosses at Spain's Basketball Federation. Garcia Reneses, named best coach of the 2007-08 campaign by his colleagues, explained when he was introduced to the media that "this is a great challenge and I am really looking forward to coaching this team."

How did they qualify?
EuroBasket 2007 2nd, (7 W - 2 L)

Preliminary round
Sept-3rd 2005    Spain b. Portugal    82-56
Sept-4th 2005    Spain b. Latvia    93-77
Sept-5th 2005    Croatia b. Spain    85-84

Secound round
Sept-7th 2005    Spain b. Greece    76-58
Sept-9th 2005    Spain b. Russia    81-69
Sept-11th 2005    Spain b. Israel    99-73

Quarterfinal
Sept-13th 2005    Spain b. Germany    83-55

Semi-final
Sept-15th 2005    Spain b. Greece    82-77

Final
Sept-16th 2005    Russia b. Spain    60-59