REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - Chile find themselves in the middle of preparations for one of the most important summers in the country's basketball history - even though the end goal is two years away.

Chilean U17 coach Manuel Cordoba is meeting with the 1998/1999-born generation of players, working on getting them ready for this summer's South American U17 Championship. 

This tournament, which takes place in San Juan, Puerto Rico from 4-8 August, is the first of two steps to qualify for the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship. Cordoba's players must first battle this summer the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela for spots at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, from which four teams will then move onto the U19 Worlds in 2017.

It is a big goal, but Chilean basketball officials feel they have the talent pool to do it. And they are doing all they can to bring the players to the level they need to excel.

"We are aware of [the higher expectations], so we are tending to all players involved in the process to obtain as much international experience in our power," Chilean Basketball Federation Secretary General Mauricio Novoa told Eye on the Future.

The foundation of the Chilean effort is to ship out their top talents to other countries to gain better experience than they can receive back home.

The 1995-born Geno Luzcando has made the step to college basketball in the United States with Idaho State while Sebastian Herrera and Nicolas Carvacho from the 1997-born class are playing in Germany and the Unites States, respectively. 

"The idea is that players go abroad because the level of youth leagues in our country is only high in the south," Novoa added.

Chile also gained immense experience by playing at the biennial U18 Albert Schweitzer Tournament in 2014. And Chile have already secured an invitation from the German Basketball Federation to the Albert Schweitzer event again in 2016. 

Chile have begun to see many of their youngsters grow into possible high level talents - many of them getting ready this summer for the South American U17 tournament. 

Chile believe they have a great chance to reach the 2017 U19 Worlds with the players they have in the 1998 and 1999 generations.

Nicolas Aguirre, Felipe Haase and Camilo Torres are the leaders of the 1998-born generation while Marcelo Perez, Sebastian Leefhelm and Askati Pickett make up the core of the 1999-born group with Ignacio Arroyo being a 2000-born player.

Aguirre spent this season in the United States while Perez was in Argentina. Leefhelm and Haase are expected to follow soon in leaving for greener pastures outside of Chile. 

Besides Perez, the other five players all have a past failure in Chilean red, white and blue they would like to make good this summer.

Aguirre, Haase and Torres helped Chile finish fifth at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, missing a chance to play at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship. Leefhelm, Pickett and Arroyo meanwhile lost to Venezuela in the Third-Place Game at the 2014 South American U15 Championship, stumbling at the first step in the qualifying campaign for the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship.

Chile had competed at the previous two FIBA Americas U16 Championships, finishing sixth in 2011.

Chile, however, have never qualified for the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Aguirre, Haase, Perez and Arroyo hope to change that this summer at the South American U17 Championship in Puerto Rico.

There is plenty riding on this summer for Chile. 

David Hein

FIBA 

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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