PAU GASOL: "WINNING THE PRINCE OF ASTURIAS AWARD IS A GREAT HONOUR FOR US ALL"
Coach José Vicente Pepu Hernández and players Pau Gasol, Felipe Reyes and Juan Carlos Navarro offered a press conference for the registered media on behalf of the Spanish basketball team, 2006 Prince of Asturias Award Laureate for Sport, at Oviedo?s Reconquista Hotel.
"The Prince of Asturias Award is an honour for us as well as an opportunity to continue working in the same vein," team coach Pepu Hernández told the press conference. He also said that the Spanish team, "would exhibit exactly the same qualities in the future," because they had taken the team to their world championship victory. "We won?t forget who we are, we are not going to change, people want us to stay the way we are," José Vicente Hernández added. The national team coach explained that, "there is excellent basketball in Europe. At the World Cup you can come up against teams that are not on the same level as European teams."Pau Gasol also explained that, "European basketball is going from strength to strength and is ready to compete on a par with the United States."
Speaking on the Prince of Asturias Award going to the Spanish team, Pau Gasol, who also expressed his delight at the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord going to UNICEF, said, "it is a great honour for us all to receive such a big, internationally recognised award. The Memphis Grizzles star went on to say, "I am overcome. This is a special moment and I would have liked us all to have been able to enjoy it together." Pau Gasol also referred to the World Basketball Championship Final, saying, "I get emotional every time I see clips of the game. They are very special moments for me."
Felipe Reyes told the press conference that he is always at ease on the court, saying "When I go onto court, I forget everything else, it?s the way I am." Juan Carlos Navarro spoke on the subject of the upcoming European championship and said, "Croatia is the strongest rival, though we hope to be top of the heap; we have plenty of potential to play basketball."
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