VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Italy's hopes of winning the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Turin do not solely rest on the broad shoulders of Andrea Bargnani, but it's accurate to describe the big man as a potential game-winner.

Anyone that doubts that should reflect on some of his contributions last year for the Azzurri, who came within an eyelash of reaching the Semi-Finals and playing for direct qualification for Rio.

This is why it was imperative several weeks ago for the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) to have a couple of coaches work out with the club-less Bargnani on a regular basis, following his release by the Brooklyn Nets. He needed to be sharp by the start of the national team training camp and now he is. He is also fired up.

"The Olympics is a dream and we have thought of this great opportunity for the entire year," Bargnani said at training this past week. "We believe in it."

Bargnani isn't the only big that people are talking about before the Turin OQT.

Mexico's Lorenzo Mata, who has been slowed by injuries the past couple of years, is another. He is now with some of the other El Tri players getting ready for the OQT. Mata was an important player for his country when it won the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship in Caracas. It will be interesting to see how his big body helps a Mexico team that is going to rely heavily on Gustavo Ayon. Maybe Mexico are going to be a sleeper.

Mexico are in Group A with Iran and a very experienced, very deep and very talented Greece. 

The best pivot of all in the Turin? It may end up being Ioannis Bourousis. Talk about getting a second wind, Bourousis was so disappointed after EuroBasket 2015 that it was thought he was calling it quits with the national team.

But Bourousis instead changed clubs, moving from Real Madrid to Laboral Kutxa, and had an MVP season in the Liga Endesa.

So no, Bourousis is not retiring from the national team. The Greeks have been slow out of the gate in terms of announcing their preliminary squad but assuming Kostas Koufos comes back after a solid EuroBasket campaign and Bourousis is there, they look very, very good in the low post.

Iran, meanwhile, will have their own influential big man, the great Hamed Haddadi. It's going to be a big ask for him to carry an Asian team that looks short on experience to an OQT victory.

In Group B with Italy will be Croatia and Tunisia, who have a couple of their own big-man stories.

Croatia look as if they are going to move forward with Justin Hamilton, the American-born-and-bred player whose mother is Croatian, while the finger-wagging Salah Mejri is likely to play for Tunisia after his first NBA season with Dallas.

Remember those Salah swats last year at the AfroBasket? Come on, folks. If you're not excited about Turin, yet, you need to get excited.

Hamilton has been superb this season in Spain's Liga Endesa playing for Valencia Basket and will bring something that Ante Tomic, who didn't want to play this year, does not. He will have a 3-point shot to bolster what looks like an already potent Croatia offense which for some reason never got on track last summer at the EuroBasket.

Croatia have a dangerous team. No one can forget how awful they were in last year's Round of 16 drubbing by the Czech Republic. They will be out to prove the doubters wrong. There is very little pressure on this team and that will help their chances.

As for one of the bigs that has already qualified for the Olympics but right now appears undecided if he will go, Pau Gasol, we should all give a thumbs-up to the EuroBasket 2015 MVP of Spain. He held a press conference this past week and appealed for more information about the possible health risks of going to Rio due to the Zika virus.

"I hope that the (Spanish and International) Olympic Committee informs with clarity on the risks there are today in Brazil so that the athletes are able to take a decision and learn the risks," he said.

"It's not a topic that is spoken enough about. We will see what happens. There needs to be more information and to put health first not just for the athletes but for fans and families of sportsmen."

Well said, Pau.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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