WARSAW (EuroBasket 2015) - Marcin Gortat is to step out in the third EuroBasket tournament of his career as he leads the final 12-man squad which head coach Mike Taylor has selected to represent Poland in the big event.

The Washington Wizards center had averaged 14.3 points and 10.8 rebounds at EuroBasket 2009 at home to lead Poland to a ninth-place finish, which remains their best placement in the past 18 years.

Gortat missed out on EuroBasket 2011 due to injury and although he returned to the national team two years later in Slovenia, Poland delivered a series of below-par performances and failed to get out of the First Round.

The 31-year-old big man has vowed to help the Polish redeem themselves for that disappointing campaign by leading the national team, at the very least, into EuroBasket 2015 Round of 16 from Group A.

Gortat will pair up at the '5' spot with the talented young man who is destined to succeed him in the future, 21-year-old Przemysław Karnowski.

This choice of men in the middle has forced coach Taylor to cut from the final 12-man squad the back-up center during last summer's 2nd Qualification Round campaign, the veteran Adam Hrycaniuk.

"It was not an easy decision but it came as the result of observation and discussion," the Poland head coach explained.

"I highly respect Adam, both as a player and a person.

"He is a team player and a great defender in the paint.

"Adam helped us to a large extent to achieve last year's success [the qualification to EuroBasket 2015] as well as to establish good habits defensively.

"The decision came down to the fact that I will use Marcin Gortat and Przemyslaw Karnowski at the center spot and there would simply not be enough minutes for Adam."

Veteran Lukasz Koszarek and AJ Slaughter will share the point guard spot, while Poland expect big things from their duo of wingers, Adam Waczynski and Mateusz Ponitka.

Waczynski led the national team in scoring last summer as he averaged 14 points and added 3.5 rebounds with 3.2 assists per game and then went on to enjoy a superb first club season away from the Polish league as he played for Natura Monbus Obradoiro in Spain's Liga Endesa.

The 22-year-old Ponitka meanwhile, who alongside Karnowski had shown enormous promise at youth level, stands out for his athleticism and has joined Polish champions Stelmet Zielona Gora from Belgian champions Telenet Oostende, where he spent the last two seasons.

Ponitka had a discreet debut at EuroBasket 2013 but established himself in the senior national team starting line-up from the beginning of Taylor's tenure, averaging 13 points per encounter during the 2014 qualifying campaign.

Poland will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in their EuroBasket 2015 opener in Montpellier on 5 September and will then play against Russia, reigning champions and group hosts France, Israel and finally Finland.

Poland final roster for EuroBasket 2015: Dardan Berisha, Aaron Cel, Aleksander Czyz, Marcin Gortat, Karol Gruszecki, Przemyslaw Karnowski, Lukasz Koszarek, Damian Kulig, Mateusz Ponitka, AJ Slaughter, Adam Waczynski, Przemyslaw Zamojski.

Go to eurobasket2015.org for complete coverage of EuroBasket 2015.

FIBA