At least Baba Miller will have the memories.

Spain beat France 73-69 on July 2 to win the FIBA U19 World Cup Championship, but Miller's medal did not survive the festivities.

Miller, who announced he would return for his sophomore season to Florida State men's basketball, talked to local media Monday about the experience of playing for Spain this summer.

“It’s a little bit shattered,” Miller said of the medal. “I just had it in my hand. It just slipped. It was hard clay. The memories are what counts.”

Miller scored 11 points and added five rebounds in the Gold Medal game against France.

In the final five minutes of regulation, Miller took over, scoring nine points, grabbing three rebounds, a steal and an assist to help Spain rally from a seven-point deficit to force overtime.

More: Florida State men's basketball guard Chandler Jackson suspended indefinitely

"It was a hard game, France was playing well and I felt like we were losing hope," Miller said of if he felt like he had to take over late. "Just thinking about how hard we worked and all the time we spent there, I just switched. I just had to like it was now or never."

He fouled out in the overtime but Spain was able to win its first Gold at the age level since 1999, when future NBA star Pau Gasol led the nation to a victory over Portugal.

Spain played seven games in the tournament, which was held in Turkey, and finished with a perfect record. Miller averaged 9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists while starting each game.

Against Argentina, he posted his best game with 18 points and nine rebounds.

"Not many people can say they competed in a World Cup much less won it," Miller said. "I had a great time with my teammates. An amazing experience."

The World Cup was held from June 24 and run through July 3 in Hungary with sixteen countries represented.

"That was great like because at the end of the day, we're not just competing for ourselves, we're competing for the whole country, for our families for our friends," Miller said. "It was great like being able to achieve that."

Looking ahead to 2023-24 FSU men's basketball season

In April, Miller announced he would return to the Seminoles following a freshman season that did not go the way he planned.

He averaged 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 15 games. He missed the first half of the FSU season after being suspended by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits.

Prior to FSU's involvement in his recruitment, Miller had his travel from Spain to a training camp in the United States expensed. After learning about how that violated NCAA rules, Miller and his family repaid the benefits they received.

Between the suspension and a preseason injury, Miller never found his groove as a freshman and did not live up to the NBA Draft Lottery draft selection aspirations he had coming into the season.

He said playing in the FIBA World Cup was beneficial.

“It was great,” Miller said. “Getting reps, just start to do more stuff on the court. More confidence. I really enjoyed playing. Hopefully, it translates this year.”

FSU is coming off the worst season in program history, going 9-23 last season.

The Seminoles have added former Georgetown guard Primo Spears, La Salle guard Josh Nickelberry and VCU forward Jamir Watkins from the transfer portal to refortify the team following the losses of center Naheem McLeod, as well as guards Caleb Mills, Matthew Cleveland and Jeremiah Bembry.

Spears is still waiting on hearing if he will be eligible for the upcoming season following his second transfer while rising sophomore guard Chandler Jackson is suspended indefinitely.

If the Seminoles can bounce back to become to reach the NCAA Tournament could depend on the growth of Miller in Year 2, along with other players stepping up.

“I’m looking forward to the next season,” Miller said. “I’m confident in my shot, still have to work on it. But I’m starting to be more confident attacking the rim.”

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

No one covers the ‘Noles like the Tallahassee Democrat. Subscribe using the link at the top of the page and never miss a moment.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU men's basketball: Baba Miller talks about winning gold with Spain