ESP - Women’s NT show promise

ISTANBUL (EuroLeague Women) - The Spanish women’s basketball team won’t be at the London Games after a disappointing EuroBasket last year but rest assured, the future is very bright.

That was just confirmed in Istanbul over the weekend where part of a new generation of national team players excelled and reached the title game of the EuroLeague Women.

Laura Nicholls and Anna Cruz helped surprise package Rivas Ecopolis make it to the Final to take on European powerhouse Ros Casares, the side of Spain point guard Silvia Dominguez.

Ros Casares had to battle all the way before winning 65-52.

Dominguez and Alba Torrens were Perfumerias Avenida’s top two players last season at the Final Four when they won the title and the former was also essential for Ros Casares this season, pouring in 13 big points.

Lucas Mondelo, who coached both Dominguez and Torrens last season at Avenida, was on hand to watch the EuroLeague Women Final Eight.

Still the Avenida boss, Mondelo has served as a coach in the youth categories of Spain and is a pretty good bet to lead the senior team at some point in the future.

"Of course, now in Spain Salamanca have won in Ekaterinburg (2011 Final Four) and this year, there were two finalists,” Mondelo said to FIBA.com.

“Therefore, the future of Spain is good.”

The national team competitions have been good for Spain’s youth teams.

“In the lower categories, results have been good with gold medals or silver medals, bronze medals,” Mondelo said.

Mondelo says the federation is not working alone in its bid to improve the women’s game.

“The clubs are working very good at administrative level as the federation did,” he said.

“Not only working with the senior team, but with the youth and more professional people are getting involved with the clubs.

“The clubs and federations are more interested in getting young players involved in high-level competition.”

Clubs are not operating on a shoestring budget, yet they are not overspending, either.

“The Spanish league is showing to the rest of the leagues with not so much money for coaches and players, you can also have good players and compete,” Mondelo said.

“If you win year after year, it's not by accident.”

Sancho Lyttle and Laia Palau of Ros Casares and possibly Amaya Valdemoro have roles to play with Spain’s senior team.

Lyttle was arguably the best player on the court on Sunday with 18 points.

FIBA