JAEN (Spain) - A feeling of déjà vu gripped Spain on Monday when the men's national team beat Georgia in its second game of the European Qualifiers for the Basketball World Cup 2023 in Jaen, a city in the autonomous community of Andalusia.

Exactly four years ago, Spain embarked on a similar journey, one that took it to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China. In the Far East, the most dominant team in European basketball for the past decade and a half went unbeaten in the 32-team tournament and lifted the prestigious Naismith Trophy.

Yet just to get to the event in China, Spain had to compete and survive on numerous fields of battle. The Spaniards had won their first European Qualifier at Montenegro in Podgorica on November 24, 2017, and followed that up with a victory over Slovenia in Burgos.

They would go on to play 10 other qualifying games in five more windows. 

Twenty-nine players, or heroes, took part helped Spain win 10 of 12 games to clinch a spot in China.

In addition to winning in Montenegro, Spain claimed road victories in Belarus (Minsk), Slovenia (Ljubljana) and Latvia (Riga), while at home they tasted triumph in Zaragoza, Malaga, Madrid and Tenerife (twice).

Twenty-nine players helped Spain qualify for the World Cup that was staged in China in 2019

Defeats at Ukraine and Turkey were the only blemishes on a qualifying campaign that saw Spain have two players, Quino Colom and Sebastian Saez, suit up in all 12 games.

Colom and three other players that featured in qualifying games - Javier Beiran, Xabi Rabaseda and Juancho Hernangomez - then made a Spain World Cup roster that included others that had previously reached the podium at major events.

Among them were Rudy Fernandez and Marc Gasol, a duo that had shone for the country when it won the 2006 World Cup in Japan, and Ricky Rubio, who had captured the imagination of European basketball as a youngster and played at his first big tournament at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Taking a humble, one-game-at-a-time approach in the Far East, Spain defeated Tunisia, Puerto Rico and Iran in the First Round and then Italy and Serbia to reach the knockout round.

In the Quarter-Finals, Spain turned back Poland and then survived in a double-overtime thriller against Australia, a game that the Spaniards had trailed by 11 points but went on to win, 95-88.

In the World Cup Final against the legendary Luis Scola and Argentina, Spain stormed to victory, winning 95-75. Rubio was named MVP of the World Cup and Gasol made the All-Star Five.

In the moments after the triumph over Argentina, Fernandez, the captain, was presented the shiny Naismith Trophy, which is made entirely of gold.  He lifted it with his teammates, high on the podium to set off the biggest of celebrations.

Fernandez lifted the Naismith Trophy in China after Spain's triumph in the World Cup Final in 2019

The patrons and everyone in Spanish basketball that were lucky enough to be in Jaen on Monday night for the second European Qualifier for the next World Cup had an opportunity to see the Naismith Trophy, which features a roll of honor listing all of the world champions.

The trophy also has a golden hoop with 'Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur' - FIBA's original name - is etched in, a mark that identifies it as an official trophy - characteristics that give it a heightened sense of tradition and prestige.

The Naismith Trophy in Jaen, Spain 

As spectators gazed at the trophy named after the man that invented basketball in 1891, James Naismith, they gained a new appreciation for their country's achievement. They cherished, even more, the commitment to excellence of so many in Spain that had ended up with the country on top of the podium.

Seeing the ultimate prize on Monday also fueled the hunger of the players, coaches and fans of both Georgia and Spain, to first reach the 2023 World Cup, which will be staged in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines - and then to win it again.

 FIBA