Spain international shooting guard Juan Carlos Navarro has tried to remain positive after his side's frustrating EuroBasket campaign.

Spain achieved their first aim of the tournament by qualifying for next year's World Championships in Japan, but they lost their semi-final to Germany by just one point before falling apart in the game for the bronze medal against France - losing by 30 points.

That has left Navarro with a bitter-sweet feeling.

"It was a positive performance," he said.

		“	Missing the final by one point leaves you feeling terrible and finishing fourth makes you feel even worse	„
		Juan Carlos Navarro

"Our first aim was to win a place for Japan and we got through the first phase well. We had the chance to win a medal and missed the final by just one point.

"However, the best thing is to forget what happened against France.

"Missing the final by one point leaves you feeling terrible and finishing fourth makes you feel even worse."

The Barcelona player had an excellent tournament himself, being named among the best five players in the competition and ending up with an average of 25.2 points a game.

"I felt comfortable on court, but I can't be satisfied because this is a team game and we all win and we all lose," he said.

Navarro admits he is looking forward to the return of Pau Gasol to international duty after he was forced to miss the competition because of a long-term foot problem.

"At first people talked a lot about his absence, then when we qualified from the group people spoke less about him and now it is over, his name has appeared again," Navarro said.

"The truth is that we played some good games, but he is an important player for us and I wish that instead of being in the stands, he had been on court."

"I hope he is there next time," concluded Navarro.