MADRID (Spain) - Spain have already locked up their spot at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 and the right to defend their title from three years ago. The country's veteran head coach Sergio Scariolo will be using the final window of the Qualifiers to test more young players - just like he did in the second window last November.
Scariolo nominated three teenagers, and the 63-year-old playcaller was happy with the performances of Izan Almansa, Sergio De Larrea and Mario Saint-Supery in Spain’s two wins over Slovakia to secure a spot at this summer's spectacle.
Almansa and Saint-Supery will get another taste of senior international action having been named in the squad for February's action, too - alongside Real Madrid's 19-year-old Hugo Gonzalez and 20-year-old Rafa Villar.
"I was extremely happy with what I've seen in practice. I think they have quality, they have talent, they have a good mindset, they are ambitious, they are humble as well," Scariolo said.
All three have accomplished major things for the country at the youth national team level but were making their debuts for Spain's senior team.
The 19-year-old Almansa won the MVP of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 as Spain finished second and followed with the top honor in helping Spain win titles at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2022 and FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023.
De Larrea - another gem of Spain's 2005-born generation - teamed up with Almansa on the 2022 U17 World Cup and 2023 U19 World Cup squads.
And, then Saint Supery - who was born in 2006 - took second place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022 and FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2023 in consecutive summers.
Scariolo said the Slovakia games were a good start for the youngsters, but were only a start.
"It's a process. Nature doesn't make jumps. We have to obviously have the right desire to see them performing and growing, but we cannot burn them out and give them a role which they are not ready to hold yet. That would be extremely counterproductive. And it could be extremely, extremely hurtful for their progression," Scariolo said.
"We had to keep them involved and play them when we have a chance at the level we have a chance. Take some risks, but don't dive into a pool without water because that would be extremely hurtful for us and for them, for the team and for their progression. They need to make their steps."
Almansa averaged 6.5 points points and 1.5 rebounds in 11 minutes across the two games against Slovakia. De Larrea picked up 3.5 points in 14 minutes per game, and Saint-Supery had 1 rebound and 3 assists in nine minutes in his one appearance.
Spanish players are getting very limited time in the Spanish first division ACB and Scariolo said he wants to give as many players as possible a chance to show what they can do. He said 50 players have made their debut for Spain's senior team since 2017.
"This is what we can do. This is to promote players, give them the opportunity, take risks, push them up," he said.
"We prove that we are going to give players opportunity, that we are going to take risks, but we have to calculate our risks, not only for our team, but also for the results, which our team is aiming for."
Scariolo knows his team is still transitioning. His group at the previous EuroBasket edition in 2022 included nine players who were debuting on the senior continental stage. Still, the mastermind manoeuvred his team through the field to take the title. Along the way, he even wondered why his team couldn’t be stopped.
"If others don't seize the opportunity this year (laughs) I don't know when they will be able to seize it. We cannot go with a younger, less experienced team," he joked after Spain's Quarter-Finals win over Finland.
Scariolo is still more than half a year out of the 2025 edition, but he is already tempering expectations about the tournament.
"We know that we are not a medal candidate right now, but we still want to be an extremely fierce competitor. We still want to be a team which shows that it is not going to be easy to beat them, no matter what are the names of the players who are involved," he said.
Scariolo has the record to show with podium finishes in 10 of the last 11 EuroBaskets - including four titles in 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2022.
The coach knows he will need to bring a couple of youngsters - if not more - to the EuroBasket this summer and he’s already getting a good look at them.
FIBA