The Vista Alegre Municipal Sports Palace is preparing for a historic event. 15 years later, the men’s national basketball team will play a match in the caliphate, and in this case it will also be official for their aspirations to be in the 2023 World Cup. Ukraine awaits as a rival for a Spanish team that has converted to the capital facility in its operations center during this week. The FIBA Window is the marked context for a team full of talent, but also very young. And it is that the Italian coach, taking advantage of these commitments in which the incorporation of NBA or Euroleague players is not allowed, has once again put together a squad of familiar faces on the national scene, and whose main intention is to continue monitoring potential members of future competitions.
This is how a list has been configured that has not been exempt from movements. In fact, in the days prior to the start of the concentration, Ferrán Bassas was discharged, in whose place Quino Colom entered, while this same Tuesday the injury of Rubén Guerrero was revealed, who has also been forced to leave the expedition. Therefore, there are 15 players who continue to be under the orders of the national coach, in a squad with a markedly humble tone within the upper echelons of the ACB. These are the men of Scariolo:
Bases:
- Quino Colom (Andorra La Vella, 1988) is the captain of the national team and the oldest in the squad. His inclusion came at the last minute after the absence of Bassas, although he has been a fixture for Scariolo in the windows in recent years. With more than 200 games played in the ACB in teams such as Zaragoza, Fuenlabrada, Estudiantes, Bilbao, Valencia or Baskonia, his reputation places him as one of the most reliable game directors in Spanish basketball. In addition, he also has experience abroad. His great explosion came in the ranks of the Russian UNICS Kazan, although he has also defended the shirt of other clubs such as Red Star or AEK, his current team. In his record, the 2019 World Cup obtained with Spain in China stands out.
- Alberto Diaz (Málaga, 1994) is a 1.88 point guard who stands out mainly for his excellent defensive work, although he has also continued to grow in his contributions in attack. He belongs to Unicaja, where he has played for most of his career, although he had a double stay in Bilbao and Fuenlabrada between 2013 and 2015, before settling definitively in the Malaga team, with which he won the Eurocup in 2016-17. being also named MVP of the continental tournament.
- Daniel Perez (L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 1990) belongs to one of the most talented generations of game directors in recent years in Spain, along with Ricky Rubio and Álex Hernández. Forged away from the spotlight, he has been earning a place in the highest national category based on reliability and regularity, after passing through teams such as Palencia, Canarias or Oviedo. He currently plays for Manresa, one of the revelation teams of the current season.
Escorts:
- Francis Alonso (Málaga, 1996) is the son of a player and one of those national projects formed outside of Spain. After standing out in the Unicaja training categories, the man from Malaga decided to go to the United States, where he continued to combine his stadiums with basketball. At the University of North Carolina at Greensboro he completed his cycle in the NCAA, breaking historic records for the entity, which opened the doors of the club of his life again. After spending a year on loan at Fuenlabrada, he has been establishing himself at Unicaja as a reliable perimeter shooter.
- Joan Tailor (Inca, 1991) is another of the most experienced players in the Spanish squad. It was at Cajasol in Seville where he began to make a name for himself in the ACB after leaving his time in the Balearic Islands behind. Later he would further consolidate himself at Zaragoza and, mainly, at Valencia, where he won a league title (2017), a Super Cup (2017) and a Eurocup (2019). Likewise, his good performance in the taronja box made it possible for him to participate with the national team in the 2017 Eurobasket, hanging the bronze medal. Today he is part of Lenovo Tenerife.
- Josep Puerto (Almussafes, 1999) is the only debutant in a call with the national team. A fixture in the FEB training categories. He forged in Valencia Basket, in whose first team he has established himself this year as one of the best youngsters in the Endesa League.
Eaves:
- Xabi López-Arostegui (Getxo, 1997) is another of the fixtures of the Spanish team during the windows. In addition, his good work in these commitments allowed him to earn the place of being the substitute for the injured Juancho Hernández for the Tokyo Olympics, where Spain finished in sixth position. A player who grew exponentially at Joventut de Badalona, where in 2020-21 he was designated Best Forward of the Endesa League and member of the ACB Best Quintet. This course has signed for Valencia, being one of its references in the outside game.
- Dani Diez (Madrid, 1993) is part of one of those great generations that emerged in recent years from the Real Madrid youth academy, a stage in which he accumulated several medals in the lower categories of the Spanish team. Also, in 2015 he was named Best Young Player of the ACB and with the white club he won a Copa del Rey (2014) and a Super Cup (2013). After leaving the Madrid club he has built a great reputation in the Endesa League. In fact, today he accumulates a Eurocup with Unicaja and an Intercontinental Cup with Tenerife. This course has been proclaimed runner-up of said tournament with San Pablo Burgos, of which he is one of the leaders of it.
- Oriol Paulí (Girona, 1994) is another large forward who has been gaining weight thanks to his defensive work and his spectacular actions playing above the forward. Of enormous elasticity, he is a very aesthetic player to watch. He has developed a large part of his career at Gran Canaria, where he won the 2016 Super Cup, and today he defends the Andorra jersey.
- Joel Parra (Barcelona, 2000) is the second youngest of the group. One of the great pearls that emerged from the prolific quarry of Joventut, in which he has emerged as one of the visible faces in the sporting resurgence of the Badalona club.
- Jonathan Barreiro (A Coruña, 1995) has once again taken an important step in his career with his recent signing for Unicaja, where he has established himself after a good period at Zaragoza, which stood out thanks to the contribution of youngsters such as Pradilla, Alocén and Barry himself. The Galician is another product of the Madrid academy, where he completed a cycle full of successes sharing a generation with Luka Doncic.
- Miquel Salvó (Vilanova i la Geltrú, 1994) has also made its way from LEB categories to making a name for itself in the highest national division. His great sporting emergence took place in the ranks of San Pablo Burgos, in which he contributed to the conquest of the Basketball Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup. Last summer he signed for Herbalife Gran Canaria.
Centers:
- Yankuba Sima (Girona, 1996) is one of the leaders of Pedro Martínez’s Manresa team, who is completing an outstanding season. The power forward also has on his resume a university tour on American soil, specifically at St. John’s and Oklahoma State. He made his debut for Spain in November of last year, averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in victories against Macedonia and Georgia.
- Jaime Pradilla (Zaragoza, 2001) is the youngest of the selection call. International in training categories, with a double gold in under 16 and under 18, he began to stand out in the Endesa League with the Maño club, although it has been in the ranks of Valencia Basket, his current team, where he has claimed as one of the the great future values of Spanish basketball.
- Frank War (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1992) is, after the departure of Rubén Guerrero, the only pure pivot left in the squad. His 214 centimeters height makes him a very intimidating player under the rim, and a fruitful rebounder. He has definitely settled in the ACB with the Lenovo Tenerife.
