MADRID, Aug 16 - Spain's basketball team are out to avoid the mistakes made by their footballing counterparts at the World Cup and are determined to live up to expectations when the world championship starts in Japan on Saturday.

"We have taken the football team as an example," guard Juan Carlos Navarro told Spanish news agency Europa Press on Wednesday.

"The fans had great hopes placed in them this year and in the end they did nothing.

"We have to take things one step at a time in the knowledge that we've got a great team but at the same time we mustn't get carried away so that we can try and improve our level."

Pepu Hernandez's side have won all nine of their warm-up matches ahead of the championship, including victories over much-fancied Serbia & Montenegro and Argentina.

Spain's footballers headed into the World Cup on a high after a 22-match unbeaten run, but exited the tournament in the first knockout round after a 3-1 defeat to eventual finalists France.

Navarro believes the basketball team have the capacity to go much further.

"We are going to aspire to win the gold medal," he said. "We know it will be difficult and that we will need a lot of luck too. Reaching the semi-finals with options to get to the final would be perfect."

Spain, who have NBA all-star Pau Gasol in their ranks, have been drawn against Angola, Japan, New Zealand, Panama and Germany in Group B.

"I really want to beat Germany because they stopped us reaching the final of the European championship in Belgrade last year," said Navarro. "They've beaten us in important matches and I can't wait to play them."

Spain play New Zealand in their first group match on Saturday.