Team Profile: Spain ready to defend their World Cup title

JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Spain won at the 2019 World Cup and last summer prevailed at EuroBasket 2022.

No. 1 in the FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike, they now have to prove it all over again as they attempt to become just the fourth country to win the FIBA Basketball World Cup twice in a row.

The Roster

Spain have plenty of talent in their 16-man preliminary squad that includes the Hernangomez brothers, Willy and Juancho, fellow NBA big men Santi Aldama of the Memphis Grizzlies and Usman Garuba of the Oklahoma City Thunder. They also have a couple of veterans who've been there and done that, and accomplished so much in their careers in Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull.

Juancho (left) and Willy (right) Hernangomez have emerged as the next leaders of Spain

The 2019 World Cup MVP, Ricky Rubio, was set to play but put his career on hold this summer as he stepped away from the game for mental health reasons. Talented young guard Juan Nunez was then added to Spain's roster.

Nunez made his senior national team debut in the European Qualifiers, playing in five games, and this could be the chance for him to get even more experience. He played well against the USA in a World Cup warmup game in Malaga on August 13.

The Question

The absence of Rubio, and last year's starting point guard and EuroBasket All-Star Five selection Lorenzo Brown, means Spain are without two of their most important players from their last couple of title-winning campaigns.

If Spain are to become just the fourth nation to win two straight World Cups, joining Brazil (1959, 1963), Yugoslavia (1998, 2002) and USA (2010, 2014), they will need strong, assertive play from a floor general, or from various players that will take on the role by committee.

It's not wise to bet against Spain achieving a top three finish. They have had a podium finish at eight of their last 10 FIBA events. They're banking on history repeating itself, hoping to reach the top-3 once again, and maybe even add another title.

Defeating Venezuela by 30 points and Slovenia by 20 in two preparation games was an encouraging sign for the No. 1 team in the FIBA World Ranking. After three quarters against USA, Spain were only down 73-72 in Malaga. While USA ended up. winning, 98-88, there was much to like about Spain's performance. Nunez had eight points and five assists and Alberto Diaz six points with three assists.

Spain had 29 assists in all, evidence that their passing game was in tune.

 

The Hope

Part's of Spain's strength is that they have the experience of winning, no matter what the competition. It's in their DNA. They will have a target on their backs yet by being a cohesive unit and playing with confidence born of past success, Spain can achieve their aims.

It helps that they have one of the greatest coaches in FIBA history, Sergio Scariolo. Spain's success at last year's EuroBasket had as much to do with him as anything else. It was his fourth EuroBasket crown as coach. He also led Spain to the 2019 world title, the 2012 Olympic silver medal and the 2016 Olympic bronze.

If Spain reach the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup, it will be the seventh time doing so since 1998. Should they lift the Naismith Trophy, it will be the third time in their history, and third since 2006.

The Fear

If Spain slip up in the First Round and lose a game to Brazil, Iran or Cote d'Ivoire, it could leave them needing to win all of their Second Round games, which would be a tall order since their next opponents come from Group H, which consists of France, Canada, Latvia and Lebanon.

 IN THE LAST 10 FIBA EVENTS

YEAR	EVENT	LOCATION	ACHIEVEMENT
2022	FIBA EuroBasket	CZE, GEO, ITA, GER	1st
2021	Olympics	Tokyo (JPN)	6th
2019	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Beijing (CHN)	1st
2017	FIBA EuroBasket	FIN, ISR, ROU, TUR	3rd
2016	Olympics	Rio de Janeiro (BRA)	3rd
2015	FIBA EuroBasket	Lille (FRA)	1st
2014	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Madrid (ESP)	5th
2013	FIBA EuroBasket	Ljubljana (SLO)	3rd
2012	Olympics	London (GBR)	2nd
2011	FIBA EuroBasket	Kaunas (LTU)	1st

The Poll

 

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For a deeper look on Spain's journey to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, click here.

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