 By leading Regal FC Barcelona to the club's second Euroleague crown, Xavi Pascual became the youngest coach to win the continental title in almost two decades. In just his second full season on the Barcelona bench, the 37-year-old Pascual had already won everything in Spain, lifting the Supercup, King's Cup and Spanish League trophies. He had also been to the 2009 Final Four, but like many Barcelona teams in the past, could not grab the trophy. Paris changed all that, giving Barcelona its second Euroleague crown and Pascual his first. Hard-working and focused, Pascual is a players' coach who has a knack for keeping everyone involved and dedicated to the same goal - winning basketball games. Pascual knows this Euroleague title could mark a new start for Barcelona as a dominant team in European basketball. He is proud of his group of players and what they have created together - with an emphasis on the togetherness. "We are a team that no matter if it is on defense or offense, when we think something can work, we are brave and take a step forward," Pascual told Euroleague.net. "No matter if it is rotations, tactical decisions or whatever, we are willing to take risks, and that turns us into a modern team."
Hello, Xavi. What does it mean for you, as a lifelong Barcelona fan, to have coached the team to its second Euroleague title?
"First of all, the fact that we won the Euroleague title is, by itself, a matter of satisfaction for any coach in any team. If you manage to do it with your lifelong club, the one you have always followed, it is even more satisfying."
At the Final Four, your semifinal opponent, CSKA, enjoyed a psychological edge from having beaten Barcelona in the same game in 2006 and 2009. What did you do to overcome that advantage?
"I think that we prepared the game very well. We managed to be ready to overcome difficult moments, as we knew those moments would arrive during the game, no matter if we were leading or trailing. No matter if we were behind or if they managed to rally and get back in the game, we had to be focused always on the next possession and try to find an easy basket or do well in the next defense."
The final was completely different from the defensive style of the semi, and Barcelona showed its entire arsenal on offense. How did you prepare the game so well in less than 48 hours?
"Well, we are a team ready to prepare for games like this in a short period of time. We are used to playing in two high-level competitions - the Euroleague and the Spanish League - and have been able to do it that way throughout the season. We always wanted the team to be ready to prepare for any game in a day or two - and we showed that in the Euroleague final. With what we did in the little time we were on court, watching videos or preparing the game, everybody got to understand what we wanted and executed really well."
 It is said that offense wins games but defense wins titles - and that is the case for Barcelona. Fran Vazquez led the team in defense from the moment he stepped on court. How important was his role in the final?
"I believe that Fran was very important for us. He managed to change a lot of shots and had four blocks in the first half. He made the opponent doubt a lot. We did a great job of double-teaming and helping against all drives. Several other players did great jobs on defense, especially one-on-one, making them take tough shots so that Fran could help and block them."
Xavi, when you took over the Barcelona bench more than two years ago now, people outside the club considered you an interim coach. What was your view at the time of that opportunity?
"It was a long time ago already - more than two years. We have to look way back, but it was a situation I had to go through. My head coaching debut with Barcelona was in a Euroleague game against Unicaja. My focus was to reach the next goal, which was helping the team to make it to the Euroleague playoffs and the Spanish League final, which would allow us to return to the Euroleague the following season. I just focused on these two goals and did not think about what it meant to be coaching the team."
At the press conference after winning the title you spoke about, as a coach, never doubting and looking things straight on with positiveness. How did that philosophy work, exactly, with this team?
"On one hand, I meant that a coach should never doubt or hesitate. We are a team that no matter if it is on defense or offense, when we think something can work, we are brave and take a step forward. No matter if it is rotations, tactical decisions or whatever, we are willing to take risks, and that turns us into a modern team. We are able to do many different things at both ends. When we think we can get an advantage, we work hard to try to get it."
Everything goes into a coach's preparation. But from your experience, is it more important to be a head coach at lower levels or an assistant coach at higher ones?
 "Everything is important. In my case, before I became an assistant coach for more than two years, I coached senior teams in lower levels for a decade. I believe that anything that do you in life related to basketball gives you experience. Everything I did played an important role for me to be where I am today."
You are the youngest coach to win the Euroleague title since Zeljko Obradovic did it with Partizan. Do you think that the time has come for younger coaches to take over in European basketball, just as you showed in Paris?
"I really don't know, it is tough to say. First of all, you need a well-prepared coach and regardless of their age, anyone can win any competition. I don't think that age is a reference for coaching. There are great coaches that are older than I am and that will be back to the Final Four to win it again, with a lot of experience. At the same time, there are younger coaches that will fight hard to make it. I don't think it is a decisive, determinant factor or anything. We will see years in which the younger coaches will win and others in which the most experienced will lift the trophy."
This is, indeed, a new start in your head coaching career. Where would you like to position yourself in 10 years' time?
"I don't know. I have not even thought about it. I would like to be coaching a first-level team and if that one can be Barcelona, it would mean that I had an incredible run in the club. As a professional coach, you know that every time you sign a contract, it always has an expiration date and anything can happen."
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