Lorenzo Brown's naturalization has provoked a storm of reactions around Spanish basketball.

On Wednesday, Virtus Bologna will play Game 1 of the Italian league finals in an already classic matchup against the rivals of AX Armani Exchange Milan. The team coached by Sergio Scariolo will try to retain the league title that they won last season when they swept Milan 4-0. 

Sergio Scariolo has explained his contractual situation with Virtus Segafredo Bologna and the Spanish national team, following the reports about his departure from the NT at the end of EuroBasket 2022.

The 61-year-old Italian specialist gave an official statement to AS.com.

"I don't know where certain rumors come from. I don't usually comment on them, but maybe it's worth clarifying that my contract with Virtus explicitly allows me to participate in the National Team Windows.

My deal with the Spanish Basketball Federation runs until the end of the 2024 Olympic Games. I find it extremely offensive to doubt about credibility and seriousness of my directors as if they can consider anything other than complying with the letter of the contract.

With good logistical work and calendar harmonization, we can do exactly what Igor Kokoskov did for two years at Fenerbahce. That could limit the coincidence of my presence in the club and the national team to the maximum," Sergio Scariolo stated.

Virtus Bologna secured a spot in the next EuroLeague after winning the EuroCup title against Bursaspor. This was great news for Virtus and the city of Bologna, it was less good news for the Spanish national team though.

With Virtus Bologna playing in EuroLeague next season, in fact, it'll be very difficult for coach Sergio Scariolo to coach both teams, especially during the FIBA windows for the national teams.

According to Encestando, the Spanish federation already knows that coach Scariolo will leave his job as head coach of the national team at the end of EuroBasket. Although there might be even the possibility of him leaving his role before EuroBasket since Virtus Bologna would love to have the coach at his full capacity already during the pre-season in September. 

One of the names that the Spanish federation is considering as a potential replacement for coach Scariolo is Joan Penarroya, the current head coach of Valencia. 

Penarroya, though, is on an expiring contract and the general expectation is that he'll leave the club at the end of the season. 

The president of the Spanish Basketball Federation Jorge Garbajosa assured AS.com that there would be no conflict for the coach Sergio Scariolo between the windows with Spanish National Team and with Virtus Bologna in the EuroLeague.

First of all, Garbajosa in his interview praised Scariolo for winning the EuroCup.

"I sent him a message last night because it was their day to celebrate. It's just so good. Despite the fact that the club is coming back from what it was in a big way, with an important economic investment," told Garbajosa. "But then you have to coach it. And when you don't have a team with so much talent it's because you don't have it, but when you have it you have to know how to manage it internally. And Sergio is a master at that. I'm very happy for the club, because it's a club I've always admired, and of course for our national team's coach," he added.

Garbajosa was asked by the media if there would be a constraint for Scariolo to continue as a national team's coach because he will participate in the EuroLeague and it coincides with the windows.

"Sergio has always been clear about it and when he was in the NBA he was also clear that he has a contract with the national team. And more than a contract, he has a commitment. When he started the negotiations with Virtus they were informed of all the details and we are very calm," stated Garbajosa.

When Jorge Garbajosa was asked what it feels like to be the president of the Spanish Basketball Federation having a team winning the Champions League, a coach winning the EuroCup, and two other teams in the EuroLeague Final Four, the legendary player said that he felt very proud.

"I take a lot of pride in myself, in Federation's team, in the Spanish clubs," Garbajosa stated. "The fact is that Spanish basketball is at the highest level in the world. We are talking about our national teams being second in the world only after the United States, both in men's and women's basketball. We are talking about two clubs in the Final Four, the EuroCup champion's coach, two Champions League finalists. We talk about coaches all over the world, about referees in the best international competitions."

Talking about EuroLeague's Final Four, Garbajosa said that in his opinion teams are very equal and that he was very excited about a semifinal between two Spanish teams.

"I see the Final Four very evenly matched. I see an exciting semifinal between two Spanish teams. The pity is that one of them is going to miss the final, but the good thing is that we have a guarantee that one of them will be there. This year's calendar has not been just overloaded, but it has been crazy. Madrid have gone through a brutal play period, then they had a bump, and now they're better. It greatly influences how they feel the day before the first game," Garbajosa concluded.

After the win against Bursaspor, which crowned Virtus Bologna as the EuroCup champions, Kyle Weems spoke to the reporters with the medal pending from his neck. 

The American forward, now in his fourth season with the club, praised the work of coach Sergio Scariolo. 

"I want to thank coach Scariolo, who's been fantastic since day one," Weems stated. "We lost many players, we had so many injuries, but he didn't care, he always kept us on the wire and the guys kept fighting. It didn't matter who was playing, we always fought. That shows how good was the spirit inside the locker room."

"I'm incredibly proud and for me, it's special to be part of all this," Weems added. "I want to thank so many people inside the organization that work so hard behind the scenes. Really hard-working people who helped me a lot over the years do not receive a lot of recognition, but they deserve all the praise."

This is the second major European trophy that Weems won with Virtus Bologna after the Basketball Champions League in 2019. 

After defeating Frutti Extra Bursaspor in the EuroCup final, Virtus Bologna will play in EuroLeague next season, and the entire organization couldn't be happier with the result.

After the game and some celebrations inside the locker room, coach Sergio Scariolo entered the press conference room to answer some questions and share some thoughts about the season of his team. 

"We're extremely happy, it's been a great EuroCup season," Scariolo began. "I want to thank the organization, Massimo Zanetti, Luca Baraldi, and Paolo Ronci. For me, it wasn't easy to leave the NBA, but after tonight's win, it was worth it.

"The organization really respected and satisfied all my requests and my decisions about the roster, they really tried to do everything that I've asked, I'm really grateful for this," he added. 

Scariolo returned to the first part of the season when the team struggled from time to time and suffered many injuries. 

"In the first part of the season, we had so many injuries that at some point I almost thought that this season was not the right one to win," he said. "After February, we started to recover some players, and with the additions of Toko Shengelia and Daniel Hackett, we added some needed experience and stability."

"I want to thank the players for letting me coach them, even hard sometimes. I felt their trust, which was very important for me," Scariolo added.