Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Only those historical basketball powerhouses have won medals at 4 consecutive EuroBaskets... but Spain can match it this year, in Belgrade. After silver medals in 1999 and 2003 and bronze in 2001, Spain will be looking for another success, and although superstar Pau Gasol will rest this time, medal hopes stay intact.

		Jorge Garbajosa

It has been too long since Latvia edged Spain in 1935, in the first EuroBasket ever. In 70 years, Spain have come very close to the title a few more times, but have never quite managed to win gold: five finals (1935, 1973, 1983, 1999 and 2003), zero wins. Always silver medal. Not enough for a young generation used to winning, for players that have ruled the world at the junior level and that in their early 20’s have claimed almost every European title available. Each one, that is, apart from EuroBasket.

Spain travel to Serbia and Montenegro with a young and fearless team. 10 out of the 15 players selected by coach Mario Pesquera were born in the 80’s; they are 25 years old or even younger. On the other side, Iñaki de Miguel is the oldest at 31, while the 27 year old Jorge Garbajosa looks like a grown up in a team of children. Gifted children, though! Able to play basketball with ease, to shoot, jump and run like few can, to step in the court with the will to have fun and to thrill the fans... and to start a game with only one word on their mind: win.

		Juan Carlos Navarro

After beating the United States in the 2002 World Championship, Juan Carlos Navarro was asked about his feelings. He really did not know what to say: for him it was not strange, he had done it playing for the World Junior Championship in 1999. That is the feeling for a group of kids unafraid of the world, a bunch of young players for whom taboos are only there to be broken. Before 2002, Spain had lost all official games against Yugoslavia in 18 years (1984-2002), with an historical 30-3 record.

Since then, it’s 3-0 for Spain in official games and 2-0 in friendlies. Why should Calderón be afraid of Serbia and Montenegro, the unanimous gold favourite for the EuroBasket, if he has a 5-0 record against them? That’s the point with this young and fearless generation.

For the first time, superstar Pau Gasol opted out. After a very long season full of injuries, the Memphis Grizzlies rising star, a tornado two years ago in Sweden, will not play for Spain this time. “It is impossible to replace him, but we, all the players and coaches, focus only on the people that is working here”, said Mario Pesquera.

		Sergio Rodriguez

But, can a team still succeed without a player who netted 25.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game two years ago in Sweden? “Sure. We have the mentality to go for the title everywhere we play. We are not going to Serbia and Montenegro only to participate; our target is always to win”, answers Jorge Garbajosa. It is not only his opinion, most opponents share it: “Spain is a very skilled team even without Gasol. They will fight for the medals”, said Serbia and Montenegro swingman Dejan Bodiroga.
“This tournament is up to a few days, if you have a good week you can take it all. This is the toughest championship in the last 25 years, with 9 or 10 teams that can fight for the gold... but we can play against everybody”, added Spanish head coach, while Garbajosa agrees: “in my opinion a EuroBasket is tougher competition than a World Championship or Olympics because you don’t have easy games anywhere and if you have a bad day, you are out”.

José Manuel Calderón, Juan Carlos Navarro, Carlos Jiménez and Jorge Garbajosa are expected to be the Spanish national team leaders in Serbia and Montenegro. Calderón, who has recently signed with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA, will likely start at the point and be one of the most important offensive players of the team. At shooting guard, Juan Carlos Navarro feels ready to step up after a so-so Olympic Games performance; he has been the second offensive force in the last four years and now Spain need his points more than ever.

		Carlos Cabezas

At 29 and 27, Carlos Jiménez and Jorge Garbajosa are the two veterans of the team. It is not that they are the two oldest players, they are not, but they have the most top level experience. In fact, Carlos Jiménez (the only player to line up with Spain in all 1999, 2001 and 2003 EuroBaskets) will go for his fourth straight medal, this time as the captain. He is the prototype team-player, always helping in defense, rebounding and never having a bad gesture or taking too much offensive responsibility. Conversely, Jorge Garbajosa is a versatile power forward with a great shooting touch and able to play tough at both ends of the floor. He is also a winner who loves to take the big shots... and he will rarely miss.

Besides them, Spain will combine youth and experience. On one hand, Mario Pesquera will use the rising talent of Rudy Fernández, 20, who already played at the Olympic Games, and astonishing playmaker Sergio Rodríguez, 19, MVP of the U18 2004 European Championship Men, while lining up Fran Vázquez, 22, a 209cm center ready to contribute at the highest level, and Albert Miralles, 23, who spent his last three years in Italian basketball. On the other hand, Pesquera will be able to use the experience of Iñaki de Miguel, back to the team at 31 and five years after his last call, or Iker Iturbe and Alex Mumbrú. Or the winning know-how of Felipe Reyes, Carlos Cabezas and Antonio Bueno, “Golden Juniors” in 1999, or Sergi Vidal, Euroleague runner up with Tau Vitoria.