Spain load up for another run at Olympic gold
LAS VEGAS (USA) - The Spain team that will compete at the Tokyo Olympics has a very familiar look to it with many of those included having won past major events or taken other steps of the podium.
LAS VEGAS (USA) - The Spain team that will compete at the Tokyo Olympics has a very familiar look to it with many of those included having won past major events or taken other steps of the podium.
Veterans Rick Rubio, Pau and Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, Victor Claver, Sergio Rodriguez and Sergio Llull have all been named on the 12-man roster as Spain take aim at a fourth consecutive medal at the Olympics.
View this post on Instagram
Spain claimed silver medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, respectively, after falling to the United States in thrilling Finals, and seized Bronze in 2016 after edging Australia in the third-place showdown.
Both Pau Gasol - whose presence in Tokyo had been in doubt before he joined Barcelona late in the season and helped the club win the Spanish title - and Fernandez will play at the Olympics for the fifth time.
Juancho Hernangomez had been an uncertainty after getting hurt in a warmup game against France in Malaga on July 8 but doctors have given him the green light to participate.
Another player that is sure to garner attention is 2.03m (6ft 8in) center Usman Garuba, a member of Spain's youth teams in recent years who had already made his mark with Real Madrid in both the Spanish Liga Endesa and the EuroLeague.
| Spain Team for the Tokyo Olympics | |||
| Alberto Abalde | Alex Abrines | Victor Claver | Rudy Fernandez |
| Usman Garuba | Marc Gasol | Pau Gasol | Juancho Hernangomez |
| Willy Hernangomez | Sergio Llull | Sergio Rodriguez | Ricky Rubio |
Garuba, 19, was the MVP of the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2016 after leading Spain to the title. That was the year that Spain captured the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.
To come up with the final roster, Spain coach Sergio Scariolo cut Pierre Oriola, Dario Brizuela and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui.
Spain, meanwhile, took on the USA in a warmup game on Sunday night in Las Vegas and led for much of the contest before falling, 83-76. Rubio led the team in scoring with 23 points but had just one assist and five turnovers. Garuba had eight rebounds to go with his four points in just under 13 minutes of action.
Spain will arrive in Tokyo as the No. 2 team in the FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike and will take on Argentina, Japan and Slovenia in Group C. Their first game will be on Monday, July 26.
FIBA