ESP - Gasol no longer Spain's only star

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MADRID (FIBA World Championship) - For once, going into a major international competition, most of the attention on Spain's national side is not focused on Pau Gasol.

Jose Manuel Calderon, the national team point guard, has just finished his rookie campaign with the Toronto Raptors, while two other national team players are set to join them in the NBA.

Jorge Garbajosa is to join Calderon in Canada next season after leading Unicaja Malaga to the ACB title, and point guard Sergio Rodriguez will also leave Spain for the Portland Trail Blazers after being selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

With Gasol the leading light of the Memphis Grizzlies, Spain will travel to next month's FIBA World Championship in Japan with additional confidence, knowing they have several players who are good enough to make it in the world's top league.

"It would be fantastic to arrive home with a gold medal," Garbajosa told the Spanish Basketball Federation`s official website, feb.es.

"The NBA can wait for the time being. Now the only thing that interests me is to do as well as possible with this group."

When he does travel to Toronto, Garbajosa will arrive with less fanfare than rising Italian star Andrea Bargnani, the first overall draft pick by Toronto.

"I hope that in Toronto they see me as a hard worker, someone who wants to earn his place in the team," Garbajosa said.

"I don't think many of the fans there know who I am or how I play."

As for Spain, Garbajosa believes the country's hopes will depend heavily on how the summer workouts go.

"The key is going to be these two weeks of training," he said. "We must make sure of what we want to achieve, even though the competition is a very challenging one and anything can happen."

Spain will be in Group B in Japan with Germany, Angola, New Zealand, Panama and Japan.

PA Sport
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