Spain women's national basketball team

Summary

The Spain women's national basketball team (Spanish: Selección Española de Baloncesto Femenina) represents Spain in international women's basketball competition and are regulated by the Spanish Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Spain. Spain has one of the most successful women's national teams in the world, being the current FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 silver medallists.[2]

Spain
FIBA ranking4 Steady (15 February 2024)[1]
Joined FIBA1934
FIBA zoneFIBA Europe
National federationFEB
CoachMiguel Méndez
Olympic Games
Appearances5
MedalsSilver Silver: (2016)
World Cup
Appearances7
MedalsSilver Silver: (2014)
Bronze Bronze: (2010, 2018)
EuroBasket
Appearances22
MedalsGold Gold: (1993, 2013, 2017, 2019)
Silver Silver: (2007, 2023)
Bronze Bronze: (2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2015)
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
First international
 Spain 31–40 Switzerland 
(Malgrat de Mar, Spain; 16 June 1963)
Biggest win
 Spain 113–42 Fiji 
(Madrid, Spain; 9 June 2008)
Biggest defeat
 Soviet Union 115–42 Spain 
(Treviso, Italy; 12 September 1985)
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 1 0
Women's World Cup 0 1 2
EuroBasket Women 4 2 5
Mediterranean Games 1 0 3
Total 5 4 10

History edit

Spain women's basketball team played their first official game in Malgrat de Mar, Barcelona, against Switzerland on 16 June 1963, losing 31–40.[3] They won their first game against the same team two days later, 47–39. It would take six years to play another international friendly game, losing to Cuba 50–70 on 28 September 1969.[4]

Their first official games were in March 1970, trying to qualify for the 1970 EuroBasket, winning their first game against Switzerland 61–44 and losing to Hungary and France. The team qualified for their first major international tournament in their next attempt, the 1974 EuroBasket. After losing their three group stage games, they won their first game in a final tournament against Denmark in the placement matches, finishing in 12th position. Rosa Castillo is considered the best player from the mid-70s to the mid-80s.

Until 1985, Spain played most Eurobasket tournaments, usually finishing around 10th. An important year for the evolution of the team was the celebration on home soil of the 1987 EuroBasket, finishing on 6th position. The team entered their first Summer Olympics qualification in 1988, but failed to qualify. Their first Olympic games were also on home soil in the 1992 Summer Olympics, finishing 5th.

After failing to qualify for the two previous Eurobaskets and having never played a knockout game in a major tournament, the gold medal at the 1993 EuroBasket came as a surprise, beating the newly formed Slovakia in the semi-finals 73–55 and France in the final 63–53. With Blanca Ares as their key player (19 PPG), Spain undoubtedly took advantage of the dissolution of the dominant European teams of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and especially the Soviet Union.

The EuroBasket victory gave Spain the right to participate in the 1994 Women's World Cup for the first time, finishing 8th. Since then, the team has qualified for every World Cup -seven in a row-, winning three medals.

From 2001 up to 2009, Spain entered a loop of winning five consecutive medals in the Eurobaskets (1 silver, 4 bronze) and being eliminated in the quarterfinals in Summer Olympics and World Cups, until they finally won bronze in the 2010 Women's World Cup. From her debut in 1995 to her retirement in 2013, forward Amaya Valdemoro became the leader of the Spanish squad, taking part in 13 tournaments, playing 258 games, winning 7 medals and becoming the top scorer with 2,743 points.

The defeat against Croatia on 26 June in Katowice in the second stage of the 2011 EuroBasket and the consequent absence from the 2012 Olympics has been cited by coaches and players[5][6] as a catalyst for a golden period of seven consecutive medals under coach Lucas Mondelo. After playing the qualification matches in the summer of 2012, Spain went on to win the 2013 EuroBasket with a balance of 9–0. Afterwards, they won silver in the 2014 Women's World Cup, bronze in the 2015 EuroBasket, silver in the 2016 Summer Olympics and gold again in the 2017 EuroBasket. Spain also won the bronze medal at the 2018 Women's World Cup held on home soil in September 2018. In July 2019 Spain successfully defended their European crown by beating France 86–66 in the final of the EuroBasket Women 2019. These seven successful tournaments came to a halt in the summer of 2021, when the team finished 7th in the 2021 EuroBasket played on home soil and 6th in the 2020 Olympic Games. These results are quite commendable, considering that Spain have only competed with the world elite for two decades. This series of results took the Spanish team to be ranked No. 2 in the ranking of FIBA. In the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023, despite a strong performance, they lost to Belgium in the final.[7]

In the senior team for two decades (2002-2021) point guard Laia Palau is the record-holder for most caps (314) and most medals (12) in 19 final tournaments. In the team since 2008, forward Alba Torrens has been regarded as the most talented player of this generation, having won 9 medals in 12 tournaments.

At the Mediterranean Games, Spain won gold in 1991, and bronze in 1993, 2001 and 2005.

Competition record edit

Olympic Games edit

Olympic Games Qualifying
Year Position Pld W L Pld W L
  1976 Did not enter
  1980
  1984
  1988 Did not qualify 5 2 3
  1992 5th 5 3 2
  1996 Did not qualify
  2000
  2004 6th 7 4 3
  2008 5th 6 3 3 3 2 1
  2012 Did not qualify
  2016   8 6 2 3 3 0
  2020 6th 4 3 1 3 2 1
  2024 Qualified 3 2 1
Total 30 19 11 17 11 6

FIBA Women's World Cup edit

Women's World Cup
Year Position Pld W L
  1953 N/A

(Team did not exist)

  1957
  1959
  1964 Did not enter
  1967
  1971
  1975 Did not qualify
  1979
  1983
  1986
  1990
  1994 8th 8 3 5
  1998 5th 9 5 4
  2002 5th 9 6 3
  2006 8th 9 4 5
  2010   9 7 2
  2014   6 5 1
  2018   7 5 2
  2022 Did not qualify
  2026 To be determined
Total 57 35 22

EuroBasket Women edit

EuroBasket Women Qualification
Year Position Pld W L Pld W L
  1938 N/A

(Team didn't exist)

  1950
  1952
  1954
  1956
  1958
  1960
  1962
  1964 Did not enter
  1966
  1968
  1970 Did not qualify 3 1 2
  1972 Did not enter
  1974 12th 7 1 6 4 3 1
  1976 10th 7 2 5 3 3 0
  1978 11th 7 2 5 4 3 1
  1980 10th 7 4 3 3 3 0
  1981 Did not qualify
  1983 11th 7 2 5 4 3 1
  1985 10th 7 3 4
  1987 6th 7 3 4
  1989 Did not qualify 5 3 2
  1991 5 3 2
  1993   5 4 1 5 3 2
  1995 9th 6 2 4
  1997 5th 8 5 3 5 4 1
  1999 Did not qualify 5 3 2
  2001   8 5 3 6 6 0
  2003   8 7 1 6 6 0
  2005   8 5 3
  2007   9 7 2
  2009   9 8 1
  2011 9th 6 3 3
  2013   9 9 0 8 6 2
   2015   10 9 1
  2017   6 5 1 4 4 0
   2019   6 6 0 6 6 0
   2021 7th 6 3 3
   2023   6 4 2 6 6 0
     2025 To be determined To be determined
   2027
Total 159 99 60 84 68 16

Team edit

Current roster edit

Roster for the EuroBasket Women 2023.[8][9]

Spain women's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
PG 5 Cristina Ouviña 32 – (1990-09-18)18 September 1990 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) Valencia Basket  
G 6 Silvia Domínguez (C) 36 – (1987-01-31)31 January 1987 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) CB Avenida  
SF 7 Alba Torrens 33 – (1989-08-30)30 August 1989 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Valencia Basket  
SF 9 Queralt Casas 30 – (1992-11-18)18 November 1992 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Valencia Basket  
SG 11 Leonor Rodríguez 31 – (1991-10-21)21 October 1991 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) CB Avenida  
PG 12 Maite Cazorla 25 – (1997-06-18)18 June 1997 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) USK Praha  
C 14 Raquel Carrera 21 – (2001-10-31)31 October 2001 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Valencia Basket  
C 20 Paula Ginzo 25 – (1998-02-16)16 February 1998 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) CB Santfeliuenc  
C 21 Lola Pendande 23 – (2000-03-29)29 March 2000 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) CB Santfeliuenc  
SF 22 María Conde 26 – (1997-01-14)14 January 1997 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) USK Praha  
PF 24 Laura Gil 31 – (1992-04-24)24 April 1992 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) CB Avenida  
SF 33 Laura Quevedo 27 – (1996-04-15)15 April 1996 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) ASVEL Basket  
Head coach
  •   Miguel Méndez
Assistant coach(es)
  •   Luis Rey
  •   Madelen Urieta
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the tournament
  • Age – describes age
    on 15 June 2023

Individual records edit

  • Bold denotes players still playing international basketball.
As of 25 June 2023[10]

Top highscorers edit

Top highscorers in official games (friendlies not included).

As of 25 June 2023
Players PTS Opponent Event Date Location
Amaya Valdemoro 39   Lithuania 2006 World Cup 2nd Round 2006.09.18 São Paulo (BRA)
Blanca Ares 36   Brazil 1994 World Cup 2nd Round 1994.06.10 Sydney (AUS)
Amaya Valdemoro 33   Brazil 2002 World Cup 2nd Round 2002.09.19 Suzhou (CHN)
Rosa Castillo 32   Belgium 1976 EuroBasket Classification Round 1976.05.25 Ferrand Clermont (FRA)
Rosa Castillo 32   Finland 1980 EuroBasket Classification Round 1980.09.23 Banjaluka (YUG)
Rosi Sánchez 32   China 2002 World Cup Classification Round 2002.09.25 Nanjing (CHN)
Alba Torrens 32   China 2016 Olympics 1st Round 2016.08.10 Rio (BRA)
Marina Ferragut 31   Latvia 1999 EuroBasket qualification 1998.05.15 Daruvar (CRO)
Marta Xargay 31   Ukraine 2019 EuroBasket 1st Round 2019.06.27 Riga (LAT)
Rocío Jiménez 30   England 1978 EuroBasket qualification 1978.03.23 Wolfenbuttel (GER)
Marta Fernández 30   Romania 2003 EuroBasket qualification 2001.11.25 Salamanca (ESP)
Amaya Valdemoro 30   China 2004 Olympics 1st Round 2004.08.16 Athens (GRE)
Alba Torrens 30   Russia 2013 EuroBasket 1st Round 2013.06.15 Vannes (FRA)

Top medallists edit

Most medals won with the national team in Olympic Games, Women's World Cups and EuroBaskets:

Player Medals Details
Laia Palau 12
Silvia Domínguez 9
Laura Nicholls 9
Alba Torrens 9
Anna Cruz 8
Laura Gil 8
Lucila Pascua 8

Head coaches edit

Timeline of head coaches with games and results in final tournaments at the (EuroBasket, Women's World Cup and Olympics)[11]
(*) Results through 25 June 2023.

Years M W L % Name Competition
1963–1971 8 3 5 .375   Cholo Méndez five friendlies, three qualifiers
1974–1978 50 20 30 .400   Josep María Solà 12th 1974 EuroBasket
10th 1976 EuroBasket
11th 1978 EuroBasket
1979 3 1 2 .333   Chema Buceta three friendlies
1979–1984 54 24 30 .444   María Planas 10th 1980 EuroBasket
11th 1983 EuroBasket
1985–1992 177 91 86 .514   Chema Buceta 10th 1985 EuroBasket
6th 1987 EuroBasket
5th 1992 Summer Olympics
1992–1998 98 65 33 .663   Manolo Coloma   1993 EuroBasket
8th 1994 Women's World Cup
9th 1995 EuroBasket
5th 1997 EuroBasket
5th 1998 Women's World Cup
1999–2004 79 66 13 .835   Vicente Rodríguez   2001 EuroBasket
5th 2002 Women's World Cup
  2003 EuroBasket
6th 2004 Summer Olympics
2005–2006 33 23 10 .697   Domingo Díaz   2005 EuroBasket
8th 2006 Women's World Cup
2007–2009 53 39 14 .736   Evaristo Pérez   2007 EuroBasket
5th 2008 Summer Olympics
  2009 EuroBasket
2010–2011 33 25 8 .758   José Ignacio Hernández   2010 Women's World Cup
9th 2011 EuroBasket
2015 2 2 0 1.000   Víctor LapeñaA two qualifiers
2012–2021 152 127 25 .836   Lucas Mondelo   2013 EuroBasket
  2014 Women's World Cup
  2015 EuroBasket
  2016 Summer Olympics
  2017 EuroBasket
  2018 Women's World Cup
  2019 EuroBasket
7th 2021 EuroBasket
6th 2020 Summer Olympics
2021- 22 19 3 .864   Miguel Méndez   2023 EuroBasket
^A Assistant coach Víctor Lapeña was appointed as head coach for two 2017 EuroBasket qualifiers in November 2015[12]

Youth teams edit

Europe
U-20
World
U-19
Europe
U-18
World
U-17
Europe
U-16
2023        
2022        
2021 7th
2019 5th   5th  
2018     6th  
2017   8th 6th 5th
2016     6th  
2015   4th   4th
2014        
2013   4th    
2012   5th    
2011        
2010     8th 4th
2009        
2008 4th 5th  
2007   4th    
2006 4th    
2005 8th 5th    
2004 9th    
2003 4th
2002 5th 5th
2001 DNQ 7th
2000 5th 6th
1999  
1998  
1997 8th 5th
1996 4th
1995 4th
1994  
1993 DNQ  
1992 5th
1991 9th
1990  
1989 5th 4th
1988 6th
1987 9th
1986 12th
1985 7th 9th
1984 4th 7th
1983 8th
1982 8th
1981 9th
1980 10th
1979 DNQ
1978 11th
1977 11th
1976 10th
1975 6th
1973 8th
1965–71 DNQ

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ Spain crowned FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 champions
  3. ^ "Selección Española Absoluta Femenina de Baloncesto". seleccionfemenina.feb.es. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Selección Española Absoluta Femenina de Baloncesto". seleccionfemenina.feb.es. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Eurobasket | Selección española de baloncesto femenino | Una selección de leyenda – RTVE.es". RTVE.es (in European Spanish). 26 June 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  6. ^ "La dolorosa derrota que cambió para siempre a la selección femenina". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  7. ^ FIBA Ranking
  8. ^ "Definida la lista de 12 jugadoras para el Eurobasket 2023" (in Spanish). feb.es. 11 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Team Roster: Spain" (PDF). fiba.basketball. 15 June 2023. p. 11. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  10. ^ Spanish women's national team website
  11. ^ All Coaches (1963–2014)
  12. ^ Marca.com (in Spanish)

External links edit

  • Official website   (in Spanish)
  • FIBA profile
  • Spain National Team – Women at Eurobasket.com