Spain waits on Ibaka

The selection of Serge Ibaka, who was born in the Republic of Congo, for the European Championships in Poland between August 31 and September 18 brought to an end a long journey that has taken the 2.08-meter-tall forward to Oklahoma, via Brazzaville and Catalonia, and finally to the Spanish national basketball team.

Given a choice between Ibaka, who is still awaiting the completion of paperwork to make him a naturalized Spaniard, and Nikola Mirotic, the Real Madrid Montenegro-born forward who already holds a Spanish passport, national team coach Sergio Scariolo opted for the former.

The International Basketball Federation permits only one naturalized player per team, and should Ibaka's papers not arrive in time, Mirotic will receive a call from Scariolo. At least for now, Ibaka has achieved his dream of representing his adopted home. In explaining his decision, Scariolo intimated that Ibaka's NBA experience was the key factor.

"Both are playing in the position of a number four. Ibaka switched from playing as a number five and he has adapted to his new role quicker than maybe was expected. Mirotic has been playing there for some time, but it is not the same playing as a four in the NBA as it is in Europe. In Europe you have to mark smaller, faster players and the majority of fours play further away from the basket. In the USA it's the other way around. There you have to deal with players who come inside the court more and there is not the same need to shoot from distance."

In that respect, Mirotic leads Ibaka - 15 triples in the ACB League during the season to Ibaka's one in the NBA - but the Oklahoma player is the king of the rebound: "It has a lot to do with the athletic aspect," said Scariolo. "Ibaka has managed 10 rebounds on more than one occasion in the NBA [he averages 7.6]. Mirotic helps out, but there is no sense in expecting, because of his build, the same return [Mirotic's average is 4.0]. He still has room for improvement in the physical aspect." Furthermore, Ibaka was the top blocker in the NBA last season with 198.

However, Scariolo sounded a note of caution over Ibaka when he announced the Spain team for the championships in Poland. "We still don't know if Ibaka will be able to be with us. The Federation has taken all the necessary steps and we are moderately optimistic, but we have to wait. The final list of 12 [which must be decided before August 29] will depend on the performance of each player in training."