In 1999, a Spanish team won the U19 championship in Portugal after a hard-fought final game – cheered on by 12.000 spectators – versus USA.
Six players of this young team – shooting guard Berni Rodriguez, power forward Felipe Reyes, point guard Jose Manuel Calderon, shooting guard Juan Carlos Navarro, point guard Raul Lopez, and center Pau Gasol – went on to become regular members of the Spanish senior side in the next decade, finishing second in Eurobasket twice, finishing second in the Olympic basketball tournament, winning the world championship, and finally overcoming the last remaining obstacle – Eurobasket 2009 in Poland.
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