VEN - Venezuela: past, present or future?

MAR DEL PLATA (FIBA Americas Championship) - The last time Venezuela had a basketball team in the Olympic Games was in 1992, when Carl Herrera led the team to two victories in Barcelona.

After 19 years of more frustrations than successful results, Venezuela Federation Chairman José Carmelo Cortez hired former NBA coach Eric Musselman to try to add discipline and get the team ready both for FIBA Americas and the future years.

Ranked 22 in the World, Venezuela are the second youngest team in competition with an average of 26,7 years, only older than Cuba.

Coach Musselman and team leaders Héctor Romero, Oscar Torres and Greivis Vásquez all think Venezuela team are ready to qualify for the Olympics but also expect a future even brighter.

"We just want to get better and put the team together not only for this tournament but also for the future of Venezuela," said coach Musselman to FIBA.

Oscar Torres understands this tournament is the beginning of a new process.

"There are six new players on the team and that's really a lot.

"If we compete already with the top teams in America, we will be within the top teams in the next few years," said Torres, 34-year old.

Héctor Romero appreciates the youngest players of the team are already playing internationally but he thinks the important thing is that Venezuela can make it to the Olympics.

"The team have a promising future. We have good youngsters and many of us will stay playing for some years to add experience to the team," explained Pepito, as he is known in Latin America.

Greivis Vásquez helps young Venezuelan players to play in United States. He starts the contact with high-schools and universities for them and he makes sure they have no trouble adapting to the environment and language.

But don't talk him about the past.

"Carl Herrera is my idol but it's time to go forward and stop yearning the past.

"We have a great future and past but we need to focus on this tournament. We showed on the first three games that if we stay calmer in the last minutes we can beat the big teams and clinch a spot," said Greivis, a 26-year old NBA player.

Venezuela (1-2) will enjoy a day-off before facing Canada in a key game to accumulate points to the second round.

FIBA