DOM - Horford ready for busy summer

ATLANTA (NBA/FIBA Americas Championship) - After an NBA season that saw him register career-highs in points (17.4) and rebounds (10.2), Dominican Republic big man Al Horford is expecting a busy summer ahead of him.

Having completed his sixth campaign with the Atlanta Hawks, Horford is now looking forward to representing his country this summer.

The 2.08m centre is expected to headline his country's national team as they aim to qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup through this summer's FIBA Americas Championship in Caracas, Venezuela.

The Dominican Republic have been drawn in Group B with Mexico, tournament hosts Venezuela, Paraguay and reigning continental champions Argentina.

The top four teams at the FIBA Americas Championship qualify automatically for FIBA's flagship event, that will take place in Spain next year (30 August-14 September 2014).

The Dominican Republic are bidding to qualify to the leading international tournament for the first time ever.

Horford, who won two NCAA titles with Florida University before being drafted by the Hawks in 2007, will likely be one of the biggest stars in Caracas in August.

Since he began representing his country in international competitions in 2008, the Dominican Republic have improved drastically. After coming in fifth at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship in Puerto Rico, they finished third two years later in Argentina for their best result ever in the tournament.

Reaching the podium in Mar del Plata clinched a ticket for the Dominican Republic in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) where they came up just short of taking the last place on offer for the London Olympics, after losing the last game of the tournament to Nigeria.

FIBA.com caught up with Horford to talk about his NBA season and representing the Dominican Republic.

FIBA: The 2012-13 season finished for you and the Hawks after you were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. What are your thoughts about the season?
Horford: I'm very proud of the year we had even if the Pacers eliminated us in the first round. We had to deal with a lot of injuries during the whole season, which frequently affected the group. But our coach Larry Drew did a great job by helping the team stay confident through those hard times. We are a young team and we still need to work on our game. We’ll work very hard to do better next year.

FIBA: You played at a very high level all season. How satisfied are you with your personal performance?
Horford: Personally I had a good season but I'm sure that I could have done better if I hadn't had to deal with some injuries. I wasn't completely healthy during most of the season but I gave my best to help my teammates. Also, I think that my game improved in the last few months, but I know that I can be a better player. I'm just 26 years old and I still have a lot to learn to be the best player I can.

FIBA: You are one of the leaders of the Dominican Republic's national team. What does playing for your country represent for you?
Horford: It's a huge honour for me to represent my country. Every time I wear the jersey, I feel so proud and honoured. It represents a lot for me. It's a small country and I try to give my best, alongside my teammates, to put the Dominican Republic on the world's basketball map. We have the potential to be a good basketball team and we've been improving a lot in the last few years.

FIBA: The Dominican Republic came very close to qualifying for the London Olympics. Do you still think about that?
Horford: The game (against Nigeria) is still on my mind. We were so disappointed in being just one game away from the Olympics. It would have been so nice to go there. Not just for us, but also for the fans and for the whole country. But now we need to think about the next tournaments to come and learn from the mistakes we made in Venezuela last summer. We don't want to go through this again.

FIBA: Speaking of Venezuela, this summer's FIBA Americas Championship will take place there. Will you play for the Dominican Republic and what will be your goals?
Horford: I first need some rest to recover from the injuries I had this season. In order to help the national team, I need to be healthy. It's an important tournament for us because if we have great results there, we can qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. We missed the opportunity to play in the 2010 FIBA World Championship by losing against Canada at the 2009 FIBA Americas tournament in Puerto Rico. So it would be a great thing for Dominican basketball to compete in Spain in 2014.

FIBA: The national team's head coach position is vacant since the departure of John Calipari. What are your thoughts on his time in charge and who should get the job?
Horford: John Calipari brought a lot of attention to Dominican basketball and we improved a lot by working under his management. I don't know who's going to be our next coach, but I'm sure that we'll keep improving as we've been doing over the last few years. Dominican basketball has a bright future.

FIBA