EuroBasket Women 2015 - Group F (Gyor) Preview

GYOR (EuroBasket Women 2015) - Spain head coach Lucas Mondelo is ready to start what he feels is a whole new competition when the action unfolds in Gyor on Thursday.

Pitched into Group F, the play-caller has been taking stock of progress so far and is satisfied with what he has been given after his team topped their pool in Sopron, but is now anticipating more to come from his players.

"We have to enjoy this first phase and enjoy our first place," said the play-caller.

"Now it is another championship and this second phase will be difficult.

"We will meet tough teams that have also passed to this phase, but we have room for growth, and have saved some things.

"We have also given quality minutes to Leticia [Romero] and must focus on two days of work ahead of the second phase."

Spain will match-up against Russia, Serbia and Croatia in this next stage and experienced guard Anna Cruz is acutely aware that the level is going to get cranked up a notch and Spain must guard against getting ahead of themselves.

She said: "We have won four of four so far and we have done our homework.

"But we will have to sweat blood to win every game and that also means we have to be mentally very tough.

"As before, we are only thinking of the next game and treating it as if it will be our last."

Spain continue to be led by the dazzling skills of current FIBA Europe Women's Player of the Year Alba Torrens, while many observers are enjoying the development of debutante Astou Ndour - having picked up the naturalised reins from 2013 MVP, Sancho Lyttle.

Russia and Serbia in particular will have their top five credentials tested when they lock horns with the holders.

Anatoliy Myshkin and Russia signed off in Szombathely with a stunning takedown of Serbia and that has been seen as a big statement of intent heading to Gyor.

In stark contrast, Serbia had something of a wake-up call in their last outing, although rather than being angry at the defeat, head coach Marina Maljkovic was actually pleased.

"If my players wanted to know why I was unhappy when we were winning during our first three games of the tournament - this is exactly why," she explained.

"I knew that this [kind of loss] was coming because of how the players were performing and I think they now understand.

"It shows them what can happen if they go away from the game plan and what happens if they don't make shots."

Meanwhile, Croatia have been rewarded for their heroic efforts in Group C after they squeezed into the second phase at the expense of a crestfallen Latvia.

While clashing with Spain will be a tough one for them, they will believe they have nothing to fear when they go up against Slovak Republic and Lithuania - even though both opponents produced the goods in Group D.

Whatever happens, I am already very proud of my team and of my players. - Turic

Croatia head coach Braslav Turic is quite rightly thrilled that his team managed to emerge from the storm clouds that hung over them at the start of the tournament to eventually dig out a couple of priceless wins in the most testing of circumstances.

"We have been playing with just nine players and I could not have asked for any more from them," he stated.

Croatia are not likely to see team leader Jelena Ivezic return and it is looking like she will be ruled out of action for the remainder of the tournament with the ankle injury she sustained during the opening minutes of the competition.

Go to EuroBasketWomen2015.com for full coverage of EuroBasket Women 2015.

FIBA