BUENOS AIRES (FIBA U19 World Championship) - Players hoping to claim a spot in the Argentina side for the FIBA U19 World Championship in the Czech Republic have been staking their claims for the past several days.

Coach Nicolas Casalanguida has been working out with 24 players, including ones that helped the country to a fourth-place finish at last year's FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Sao Sebastian do Paraiso, Brazil.

A key player in that team for Argentina was 2.02m center Gabriel Deck, who led the side in scoring at 15.8 points per game.

Deck was the fourth-leading scorer in the tournament.

The 18-year-old also made a name for himself at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania, where he led all players in scoring with 21.5 points per game and was named to the All-Tournament team.

Another standout player from the U18 team that is involved in the training sessions at CENARD is Matias Ariel Bernardini.

Argentina were drawn in Group B to face Lithuania, Iran and the Czech Republic at the U19 event that runs from 27 June to 7 July.

The Argentinians had an impressive run at the ultra-competitive 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship in Lithuania, finishing fourth.

Two years earlier in New Zealand, the South Americans came in fifth.

Those currently at the Argentina U19 workouts are Pedro Barral, Franco Barroso, Matias Ariel Bernardini, Gabriel Deck, Martin Delgado, Lucas Gabriel Gonzalez, Rodrigo Ezequiel Haag, Tomas Ligorria, Martin Julian Masson, Alvaro Merlo, Andres Miguel, Julian Morales, Ignacio Nicolas Moreno, Camilo Paniagua, Patricio Pinero, Lucio Tomas Reinaudi, Javier Alejandro Saiz, Luciano Bruno Tognon, Gonzalo Emanuel Torres, Facundo Eduardo Vallejos, Juan Pablo Vaulet, Luca Vildoza, Gaston Whelan and Nicolas Agustin Zurchmitten.

FIBA