TUNIS (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - Michael Roll is going to have a lot of good and interesting times to look back on one day when he decides to call it quits as a professional basketball player.

Born in Mission Viejo, California, about 50 miles down Interstate 405 from Los Angeles, Roll was an outstanding player at Aliso Niguel High School and he followed that up by wearing the famous UCLA jersey.

Roll was very good, earning First-Team All-Pac-10 honors after his senior season in 2010.

Since then, Roll, a scoring machine, has played in Europe for Bornova Belediye in Turkey, Antwerp Giants in Belgium, CAI Zaragoza in Spain and then in Turkey again with Turk Telekom and currently, Tuyap Buyukcekmece.

There was also a team he played for this summer that gave him an unforgettable experience.

He played for the host nation of AfroBasket 2015, Tunisia, and helped them clinch a Semi-Final berth to earn a place at one of next year's FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

Roll had hoped for two more wins to clinch a spot at the Rio de Janeiro Games but Angola beat them, 58-51, in the last four.

"After the disappointment of losing the Semi-Final - Angola are a very good team," Roll explained to FIBA.com, "we didn't have a really good showing and the disappointment of that is probably going to stick with me for a very long time.

"But that's basketball. It's life.

"I had to come out the next day. We all had to shake it off, play hard."

The Californian and his team did shake it off.

They turned in a brilliant display in the battle for third against Senegal, with Roll pouring in his tournament-high of 25 points as Tunisia reached the podium with an 82-73 triumph.

Making the win all the more impressive and Roll's contribution all the more important was that Tunisia's biggest star, AfroBasket 2011 MVP Salah Mejri, was hurt and could not play.

Tunisia played with a sense of desperation but also exhibited plenty of confidence and poise.

"It was a good showing for me personally and the team," Roll said.

Tunisia made a statement about their grit, determination and focus when beating Senegal.

"I thought we played as a group, shared the ball and did everything without Salah in the middle," Roll said.

"We knew it was going to be tough because they are so big but we did it as a group."

It's always important to get to get a medal and especially for a host nation.

"It was huge to get to the podium," Roll said.

"Only one team gets to the top.

"We lost one game and we didn't want to lose two.

"As the host country, all the sponsors, it was huge for them, huge for us and I didn't want to come up empty handed my first time with the country."

Tunisia won the title in 2011 and they had a team that was capable of winning the championship again.

Roll and Co were the only side to beat Nigeria, the eventual champions.

The Mission Viejo native was three of four from the arc and had 16 points in that 70-59 triumph.

Michael Roll (TUN)

He can't help but smile when he thinks about representing Tunisia as a naturalized player.

"I never thought I would do it but it's been great," he said.

"Everyone, the fantastic facilities, the team, the basketball, the fans were awesome. It was all that and more. It was awesome."

And Roll says there some was good fortune that allowed him to make it with Tunisia.

He made the national team coach, Adel Tlatli, when he was playing in Spain.

"I played with him for a year and a half in Belgium and that's kind of how it happened," he said.

"He played in Spain (with Real Madrid) when I was in Spain.

"One night I was in Madrid and called him to go to dinner and Coach Adel happened to be there and that got the ball rolling.

"He's been a huge factor in me getting here and everyone in the entire organization has been a real big help."

Roll doesn't know what next summer will bring, but he says the opportunity to play for Tunisia again and try to help them reach the Olympics is something he wants to do.

"I would like to play next year," he said.

"That's up to them.

"The team has been fun.

"Basketball has taken me around the world, so why not?"

FIBA