With his Federation he doesn’t have Capello’s problems. Sergio Scariolo has been speaking Spanish for fifteen years. And doesn’t have a disappointing World Championship behind him, but rather one as a protagonist ahead, as coach of that Spain which he has led for the first time on the roof of European basketball. As if it weren’t enough, “la Roja” is also the titleholder, which it must defend from Saturday, August 28^th, in Turkey. The opponents, of course, are the U.S., though they don’t even have a single veteran from Beijing’s gold. Scariolo this time will not have Pau Gasol either, in the big list of absences together with Bryant, James, Nowitzki, Ginobili and Parker.

Spain won the World title with Madrid’s Pepu Hernandez on the bench. Then came Scariolo from Brescia, with his image strengthened in the Basque Vitoria, in the Andalusian Malaga and the capital, Madrid, winning everywhere. But this is not enough to be one of them.

"Last year at the start of the European Championship we lost twice and I was "Scariolo the Italian". Won the gold, there I am, "seleccionador de los campeones". But it is normal, the foreigner arrives acclaimed and then the first he loses resets everything. And maintaining the job is twice as hard than for a local. I look forward to see how Mourinho will do, surrounded by messianic expectations".

Here is the fundamentalist Inter’s fan. Once appeared in the pressroom with an Inter Milan jumper after a celebrative shower forced by Unicaja Malaga’s players.

"I have always been an Inter fan, no matter what. Benitez is a great coach, like Mourinho and Mancini. The club has chosen them well, we fans have enjoyed them".

And are you ready to make the Spaniards enjoy as well like with Del Bosque?

"It’s a different situation, Spain was the only country with a great tradition in football not to have won a World Cup ever. Well, he cleared this balance debt/credit. In basketball there is a big favourite, the United States, that for history, culture and tradition is forced to take honours but also pay for the price for a victory that cannot escape them".

On the eve of the friendly in Madrid, one of your veterans, Jorge Garbajosa, said: "If we win this game we're not the favourites for the World Championship. And if we lose, we remain among the favourites". Is it perfectly synthesising your mission?

"I agree. They won by one with moments of great superiority on the court. While we we're left with a valuable feedback: that if we do against them what is in our possibilities we can compete. The comeback from thirteen points down now is the proof”.

We expect a US-Spain semifinal. Will you beat them?

"They are the favourites, they all have players at NBA starting 5 level. Our responsibility of titleholder is to be prepared if their talent will not make of them a team. But they will evolve during the tournament".

And who will be the other two semi-finalists?

"Two among Argentina, Brazil, Serbia and Greece.

Even in your national team you need to find the agreement between Spanish and Catalan, as in football’s?

"In my team language is Spanish. Then I allow the Catalans to use their language among themselves, because it's intimate and I respect it, not having the purpose of exclusion".

Can you list the factors of the Spanish boom?

Sport culture, planning, ambition, human resources and money. That two years ago I would have put in third place, but that now has less importance thanks to the titles. Here, the crisis is deeper than in Italy, but money’s function has already taken place, bringing talent and coaches from other countries with the help of taxation (Beckham’s law, now abolished) and with the building of arenas. That allows you to practice".

Spain and Italy are competing in motorcycling, cycling, football clubs. But Spain has widened the gap between the national teams. Why?

"Quality of sport management of sport, planning, sport in schools and an economic situation that was favourable. Because maybe you collect now what you sowed ten years ago".

How do you see Pianigiani’s Italy, that will watch the World Championship on television instead and is suffering even to gain a small slot in next Eurobasket?