Maria Conde and Megan Gustafson expected to step up in the absence of Raquel Carrera
Thanks to their top-six finish at EuroBasket 2023, Spain was eligible to compete at the OQT in Sopron earlier this year.
After an opening 86-75 loss to Japan, Spain needed to beat Canada to avoid a difficult must-win game against hosts Hungary in the final contest. A 60-55 win over Canada, followed by a gutsy 73-72 win over Hungary, was enough for Spain to finish as runners-up and secure an Olympic berth.
Spain’s big three of Carrera, Conde and Gustafson were all vital throughout the OQT, though Spain are preparing to be without Carrera for Paris 2024 after the center suffered a knee injury while playing for Valencia Basket Club in May.
Gustafson proved she was an ample backup to Carrera in Spain’s win over Canada (16 points on 60 per cent shooting), while veteran Laura Gil also provides a solid defensive presence in the frontcourt. And don’t forget the veteran presence of captain Syliva Dominguez and Alba Torrens; the pair have 409 caps between them, while Torrens is the second-highest scorer in national team history with 2515 points across 197 games (Amaya Valdemoro is first with 2743 points).
With Gustafson, Gil, Dominguez, Torrens, and Conde, Spain has enough experience throughout the squad to overcome the potential loss of Carrera and make a deep run in Paris.