Reyes: 'This Is Not The End, Spain Ambitious'

Felipe Reyes has a message for anyone who thinks that Spain may be losing some of their hunger for success ahead of next year's EuroBasket in Poland.

The Spanish have settled for silver medals in each of the past two summers (EuroBasket 2007 and 2008 Olympics) after winning gold at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, and after this year's Beijing Games, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Pau Gasol indicated he may not play next year although that is a decision he will make after the NBA season.

Reyes, the captain of Real Madrid and one of his team's star performers in China, said: "This is not the end because we are ambitious and we still haven´t conquered gold at a EuroBasket which is our next aim.

"People should be calm because we are young and we still have a lot to give to the national team until they (people) get tired of us."

Spain have some very important decisions coming up, with the most crucial being which man will take the reins of the national team.

The federation parted with Pepu Hernandez and replaced him with Aito Garcia Reneses, but he stepped down after Beijing to become coach of Unicaja Malaga.

Another big issue is the captaincy. Which player is best suited to replace Carlos Jimenez not only in the squad, but as captain. Reyes would appear to be a strong contender to lead the team, as well as Jose Calderon.

In terms of playing personnel, the Spanish are as deep and talented as ever, especially at the guard spots where Garcia Reneses had a difficult time finding playing time for each member of the backcourt.

A challenge that will face the new coach will be how to give the players enough playing time so they can show their worth.

This summer, Calderon, Ricky Rubio, Juan Carlos Navarro, Rudy Fernandez, Raul Lopez and Berni Rodriguez were all in the squad and each had to play less than they are accustomed to with their clubs.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Sergio Rodriguez did not even make the team though he is almost certain to return to the fray and Pamesa Valencia's emerging star Victor Claver will make the senior team soon.

Reyes does not think that will be a problem because there is so much camaraderie in the group.

"In our national team everyone knows his role," Reyes said.

"It´s easy to adapt to it because the players in the team are great individuals and that makes it easier for anyone to adapt. There´s a lot of unity and in that atmosphere you don´t complain about who plays more or less, that hasn´t happened so far. We all look forward to joining the national team to play with our friends, because it is two months of paid holiday!

"The great atmosphere comes from the past national teams and veteran players who were the ones that made it easier for all of us to adapt to the team. We were young in the EuroBasket in Turkey and thanks to them, we were able to adapt quickly and create a team. We have continued that tradition."

GBR – Mensah-Bonsu: "I’ll think about Britain, Poland '09 a little closer to the time"

BADALONA (EuroBasket 2009) – Pops Mensah-Bonsu found the going tough in his attempt to make it in the NBA after leaving George Washington University but don’t think the British big man has abandoned his goal of playing in America.

“Ever since I was with Dallas, I’ve always wanted to go back to the NBA,” the 25-year-old said.

“I was hoping to do so this year but Spain was a better option financially and I was so excited to go there, so hopefully I will put myself in a better position.”

As a pro in America in the 2006-07 campaign, he spent most of his time with the Dallas Mavericks’ NBDL team, the Fort Worth Flyers.

Though he did play some minutes in the NBA, Mensah-Bonsu felt it best to return to Europe to increase his time on the court. He joined Benetton Treviso last summer and the 2.06m power forward/center was solid if unspectacular.

At the end of the 2007-08 campaign, something most unusual happened.

He was offered the chance to play for Spanish side CB Granada in their final game, a contest they had to win against Tau Ceramica to avoid relegation from the ACB.

After getting his release from Benetton, Bonsu joined Granada and utterly dominated against Tau, the team that would go on to win the Spanish title, with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Granada won that game 89-87 and both fans and teammates hugged Mensah-Bonsu on the court as they celebrated their top-flight survival.

This summer, before playing for Great Britain, he decided to remain in Spain and signed with DKV Joventut, the team that won the Copa del Rey and ULEB Cup earlier this year.

Once with the Brits, Mensah-Bonsu was immense, helping them win four of their first five games to clinch first place in Group D to seal qualification for next year’s EuroBasket in Poland.

He finished as the leading shot-blocker in Division A with an average of 1.8 per game, and Mensah-Bonsu was second in rebounds at 10 per game.

The star also provided plenty of offense with an average of 12.2 per contest.

Mensah-Bonsu is a high-flying artist, so it was no surprise over the weekend in Zaragoza that he took part in the dunking contest on behalf of DKV.

“It has been an easy adjustment for me, although I came late to join the team I was able adjust to the new system, new players and new surroundings,” he said.

“The players, coaches and administration have embraced me nicely and have made my time here so far very comfortable.

“I am looking forward to playing in this new league. It is an exciting, fast league with a high level of competition.”

At DKV, Mensah-Bonsu will be able to play alongside the Spain national team point guard Ricky Rubio, a teenager who was voted to the ACB’s Ideal Quintet last season.

The ACB is widely viewed at the top league outside of the NBA, so Mensah-Bonsu is hoping to use it as a launch pad back to America.

“I feel that if you are able to play well in this league you can be successful anywhere,” he said.

He is going to be playing a lot of big games in the ACB, and for his country at next year’s EuroBasket in Poland where Britain are going to go up against world champions Spain and a host of other quality opponents.

“Although the summer went well, I have to put it behind me for now and concentrate on the goal at hand,” he said. “I will start thinking about Britain and Poland '09 a little closer to the time.

“There are a few teams in the mix in the ACB this year with the contenders being us, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Tau Ceramica, and Unicaja Malaga, so we all want to get off to a strong start.”