MEXICO CITY (2015 FIBA Americas Championship) - Former Puerto Rico star Eddie Casiano has been appointed coach of Mexico's national team.

The Halcones Rojos boss, who had been a candidate to lead his country at the FIBA Americas Championship, will instead coach against them when the Olympic qualifying tournament is held in Mexico later this year.

Puerto Rico opted for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino to lead the Boricuas, announcing his appointment earlier this week.

Now the country that defeated the Puerto Ricans in the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship Final, Mexico, has a Boricua at the helm.

Casiano has big shoes to fill.

Spaniard Sergio Valdeolmillos coached Mexico and led them to new heights, including the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship title and a place in the Round of 16 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

He left the position after Spain 2014, saying that Mexico unilaterally broke the contract.

"I had been having problems for a while regarding getting paid," Valdeolmillos told FIBA.com.

"I lasted until the World Cup. After that, the situation became unsustainable."

Mexico put Bill Cartwright in charge for the Central American and Caribbean Games but his tenure was not long.

The Mexicans hosted that competition but did not have a squad at full strength and finished without a medal.

Casiano will be hoping that he have all of the top players available for the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship.

The most important figure may be Real Madrid big man Gustavo Ayon, the MVP of the event in Venezuela in 2013.

One of the Mexico internationals who plays for him at Halcones Rojos, Paul Stoll, believes his country will be in capable hands.

"I think he's a great coach," Stoll said to FIBA.com.

"He's one of the reasons I came back to Halcones Rojos in Mexico.

"I think he will do well with the team."

He (Casiano) has a lot of experience playing and coaching and knows the international game well - Stoll

Casiano had said he was interested in coaching Puerto Rico.

Now he will be the adversary.

As a player, the left-handed shooting Casiano competed at the 1992 Olympics and took on the United States 'Dream Team' in the Quarter-Finals.

Twelve years later and Casiano played an important role for Puerto Rico in one of their most famous wins, a 92-73 upset of the USA on Day 1 of the men's Olympic basketball competition at the Athens Games.

Casiano stopped playing for Puerto Rico that year but continued to compete in the country's professional league, the BSN [Baloncesto Superior Nacional].

After his last season, with Indios de Mayaguez in 2008, he began coaching the team in 2009 and was an immediate hit, guiding the team into the Semi-Finals of the post-season. He was named Coach of the Year.

In 2012, he led Indios to their first BSN title.

Casiano led Halcones Rojos into the Semi-Final Round of the 2015 DIRECTV Liga de las Americas FIBA.

Spaniard Paco Olmos coached Puerto Rico to a runners-up finish at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship but steered them to just one victory in Group B at last summer's FIBA Basketball World Cup, a 77-73 triumph over the Philippines.

Puerto Rico decided to cut ties with Olmos and put Carlos Calcano in charge for the Central American and Caribbean Games.

He guided the Boricuas to a third-place finish.

FIBA