The Spanish women's basketball team finished second in the FIBA World Championship for Women after losing to the U.S. 77-64 on Sunday, giving Spain its "first world championship Silver Medal in history," according to Sara Massa of EL CONFIDENCIAL. Spain head coach Lucas Mondelo's team "did so despite women's basketball being a minority sport at the national level in its country." Of the 12 players on the national team, "only four play in Spain, with the rest playing abroad." The "trend of women's players leaving the country is growing steadily, and in recent years they have been forced to look for professional futures" outside Spanish borders. It is "not only the members of the senior national team who have had to leave." The U20, U18 and U16 teams have won European championships in recent years "and many girls, above all those at the college age, have left to continue their careers abroad." Of the U20 team, "six of its players are playing basketball in the United States." AGM Sports Founder Gonzalo Corrales, whose company is "one of the biggest at the national level specializing in offering athletic scholarships at U.S. universities to Spanish athletes," said there has been "major growth." Corrales: "In recent years we have noticed it a lot. Basketball and football have been the sports where we have experienced the most growth. Things have changed a lot. Before, our men's and women's basketball players had a professional outlet in Spain. They could play in the professional leagues and earn some money. But the women's league has been made semi-professional and to be able to continue to develop, many have to look for an alternative outlet and are aware that the best place to continue to develop at the age of 18, especially in basketball, is the United States" (EL CONFIDENCIAL, 10/8).
