BEIJING (China) -Time was running out, and Greece had one last chance to send the game to overtime. But a three-pointer by Nikos Pappas bounced off of the rim, stayed out, sending a signal to the entire Serbian delegation to storm to the field and celebrate a success like no other.

Because back in 2007, in Madrid, on the last day of the FIBA U18 European Championship, history was made. Serbia won every single FIBA youth event that summer, from FIBA U16 European Championship, to the FIBA U20 European Championship, the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, and finally FIBA U18 European Championship.

"We had a lot of pressure on us because of all the other gold medals," coach Dejan Mijatovic said after winning the U18 in Madrid. "U16s, U20s, U19s and now U18s, too.  I can't believe it. It's just amazing."

What's even more amazing is that Serbia also had a successful summer of 2007 in girls' competitions. They won the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship, finished second in the U20s and fourth in U16s. Both the men's and the women's senior national teams would later feast on all the talent across the 2007 youth teams, winning FIBA EuroBasket, FIBA Women's EuroBasket, FIBA Basketball World Cup and Olympic medals over the next 12 years. 

The 2007 summer of Serbia was a benchmark for a successful summer. And yet, after 2019, nobody will ever mention Serbia in such a context after the domination that Spain demonstrated across every single FIBA competition this summer.

Lifting the cup in a Spanish shirt was the trademark of 2019

There is some symbolism between the two countries. Serbia's 2007 golden path ended in Spain, while Spain's 2019 carnival started in Belgrade, where they won the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2019. The girls won bronze at the U16s and FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup, and claimed two fifth-place finishes in U18s and U20s, with an overall record of 29-5 in women's game. Unlucky defeats in Quarter-Finals of U18s and U20s stopped them from getting what seemed to be a well deserved medal in both of those events.

But there was hardly a misstep in the men's part of the equation. Spain won the FIBA U16 European Championship in Italy, won the FIBA U18 European Championship in Greece, and lost the Final of the FIBA U20 European Championship in Israel, to the hands of the hosts, led by their dynamic duo of Deni Avdija and Yam Madar.

The crowning moment of a perfect summer came in China. A clean sweep of eight wins during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 meant that Spain - and we had to double and triple check this - lost just one of 29 games in men's competitions this summer! Only Israel put out the Spanish fire during the heat wave of 2019.

"I love to see that the whole system, the whole group of our teams is working along the same lines, from the academy or U12 and U13 teams all the way to the first team. We are progressive throughout the scene. Our philosophy, entering the youth teams and every category upwards, was that the base of the system is the same," Sergio Scariolo explained.

Not only is he the coach of the new world champions, but Scariolo is also the technical coordinator for Spanish youth teams. The system is obviously a well-oiled machine, and 2019 will be forever remembered in the history of Baloncesto Espana.

"This year has been a good year," Scariolo said during the FIBA U18 European Championship, which he watched from the front row in Volos, Greece, "But the results aren't our main concern. Our main concern is to develop players and try to get them ready for the first team."

The first team results give Spain some additional firepower in comparison to Serbia's 2007 medal hunt. A disappointing 13th place finish for Serbia in FIBA EuroBasket 2007, and an 11th spot in FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2007 tip the scale in the direction of Spain in the discussion of a perfect summer for one national basketball federation.

WINNING FEEDS THE ABILITY TO KEEP WINNING." - SCARIOLO

But the problem for the rest of the world is that Spain are just getting started with their domination. Words that Scariolo had during the World Cup should really send shivers down the spines of every other nation around the world, or at least down the spines of those who want to end the Spanish reign.

"I would say that winning feeds the ability to keep winning. The more Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Finals you play and fortunately the more you win, the more you know how to do it. How to manage it and how to win it. Knowing when it is the right time to hit them strong. Some of our players - not many of them this year with this team - but some of our players have been in many of those games. And they are great leaders for the rest of the players," Spain head coach elaborated in Beijing.

"We have some middle age players whom they are helping and we have a couple of young talented players who are learning. And this is how we foresee our future. These guys will end their careers sooner or later - hopefully later. But hopefully these life lessons that they are giving to their teammates will help our basketball to continue to be competitive even when the top talents will eventually end their careers."

 
The more you win, the more you know how to do it. Brilliant words from a brilliant coach and the mastermind of an unforgettable year for Spanish basketball. And with the amount of winning they have done this year, they have got more than enough know-how to stay at the top for a number of years to come.

But then again, it also put a huge target on their backs, because getting to the top is easier than staying there. The setup for the most competitive summer ever is already set for 2020.

FIBA