MADRID (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) – There is nobody more qualified to determine the right approach to the start of a FIBA EuroBasket tournament than Spain head coach Sergio Scariolo and the Italian tactician needs no further arguments to support this statement beyond his three gold medals in the competition (2009, 2011 and 2015) at the helm of 'La Roja'.

"Because of the very high level which European basketball has reached in recent years whenever you achieve a place on the podium it has to be considered a success. Particularly if we consider that we are approaching the end of the best cycle of our national team." - Scariolo

Scariolo's Spain famously started off somewhat sluggishly on these three occasions, but picked up pace through the knock-out phase and ultimately claimed gold behind dominant displays in the medal games.

It comes as little surprise then that, as FIBA.com found out, the architect of these three successful campaigns will remain very relaxed on 22 November, no matter what the outcome of the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Draw turns out to be for the reigning champions.

Do you have a preference for the group stage between Romania, Turkey, Finland or Israel? If not, why it does not matter to you where you play your group games?

I don't have any geographical preference, I think that no matter to which of these places we go we will find a passionate and enthusiastic atmosphere and we will generate expectations, as we always do. Honestly, I am not preoccupied at all about our location in the group stage because I believe the decisive part of the competition is the knock-out phase and our experience all these years tells us that the place you start from does not change many things for a team like Spain, which is among the potential title contenders.

Is it preferable to be drawn in a tough group where every game is a big one, like for example Berlin 2015, or in a group with theoretically weaker opponents where Spain arrive as the undisputed top favourite?

If we consider that it is impossible to stay in the very top condition uninterruptedly during almost three weeks, the ideal Draw would be a tough group but with a gradual increase from game to game in terms of difficulty of the rivals. Of course we cannot choose what happens in the Draw, so our task is to be ready for whatever comes our way. Ultimately, I think that because of the very high level which European basketball has reached in recent years whenever you achieve a place on the podium and get a medal it has to be considered a success. Particularly if we consider that we are approaching the end of the best cycle of our national team.

Has Spain already set the defence of the title as its goal for FIBA EuroBasket 2017 no matter what opponents come your way on 22 November, or will the result of the Draw affect to some degree the team's goals for the competition?

Obviously we will try to achieve the maximum goal, but we are perfectly conscious of the fact that Serbia surpassed us in both the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, or that France has a level of talent which is higher than any other rival on individual level. And from then on, there are a number of teams who are so close that the difference is really minimal, the likes of Lithuania, Turkey, Croatia or Italy for example. So there are so many contenders that as a team you have to be prepared to compete and reach a high level of concentration and focus right from the start.

FIBA