ESP/ITA - It's official - Scariolo to lead world champions Spain!

MOSCOW (EuroBasket 2009) - Sergio Scariolo will soon put pen to paper on a four-year contract to coach Spain's national team.

The deal has been confirmed by the Spanish Basketball Federation, whose president José Luis Sáez and executive director of the FEB, Jesús Bueno, flew to Moscow to meet with both Scariolo and officials at BC Khimki - the club side that the Italian tactician leads and will continue to do so.

Scariolo, a long-time coach in Spain whose last job was with Unicaja Malaga in 2007-08, will be presented to the media in Madrid on February 19 or 20.

"We want to thank Khimki for the interest they have shown in reaching an agreement that will undoubtedly be beneficial for everyone," Sáez said.

"It is a pleasure for me personally and for the Spanish federation that for four years, I can count on a coach of his reputation, expertise and involvement in Spanish basketball."

Sáez and Bueno met with Khimki's director general, Victor Bychkova, and thrashed out the agreement.

Khimki had already reviewed and accepted a plan offered to them by Scariolo in which he provided details on how his club coaching duties would be handled while he was away working with Spain.

The FEB said in their statement about the Scariolo deal that they will have different channels of collaboration with Khimki although no specifics were mentioned.

Scariolo had been widely tipped to take the helm of arguably the hottest national team in Europe.

Expectations will be sky high as Pepu Hernandez led the team to a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and silver at EuroBasket 2007 in Spain, and Aito Garcia Reneses guided the national side to silver at last year's Olympics before replacing Scariolo at Unicaja.

If Spain qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania and the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Scariolo will be in charge.

FIBA