Athens (Olympics) - Walter Herrmann will always occupy an important place in the history of Argentinian basketball.

Players that win Olympic gold medals are much loved at the time of the accomplishment, and revered in the years that follow.

The MVP of the 2004 South American Championship in Brazil after leading Argentina to the title, Herrmann's performances earned him a spot on the team that played at the Athens Games.

He had been downright spectacular in Rio de Janeiro, averaging 22.5 points per game, including an explosion of 37 against the Brazilians in the Final.

Herrmann also grabbed 11 rebounds in that game.

After returning to the team hotel in Rio following the title game, Herrmann was told the sad news that his father had died of a heart attack.

It happened one year to the day that his mother, sister and former fiancée had been killed tragically in a car crash.

The 2.03m forward decided to focus on basketball.

He was added to Ruben Magnano's squad that played at the Athens Games and ended up winning another title.

In Greece, while more established members of the senior squad ate up most of the minutes, Herrmann did get an opportunity to play a lot in two of the national team's most important wins.

In the Quarter-Finals against hosts Greece, Herrmann, wearing his long hair in a headband, poured in eight points and hauled in six rebounds in 17 minutes as Argentina scraped a 69-64 victory.

Then in the Semi-Finals against the United States, who had just beaten previously undefeated Spain, Herrmann came off the bench and poured in 11 important points while also corralling four boards in Argentina's 89-81 victory.

He had some big plays against the Americans.

The Argentinians had opened up a 16-point lead in the third quarter but the USA mounted a comeback and got the deficit to nine with 5:20 remaining and were attacking the basket.

Dwyane Wade drove into the lane and tried to make a pass into the right corner but Herrmann stepped in, intercepted the ball and dribbled the length of the court before scoring with a razzle-dazzle lay-up.

Then with 3:43 left, the United States were still showing signs of mounting a comeback and trailing by just eight points.

Allen Iverson of the USA tried to steal a pass but was unsuccessful.

That allowed Pepe Sanchez to penetrate and he then passed to the right corner where a wide open Herrmann stood with his arms raised.

Herrmann drilled a three-pointer - the team's 11th of the game - to push the advantage to 80-69.

They eventually won by eight, and then defeated Italy in the gold-medal game.

Herrmann played with Argentina two years later when they competed at the FIBA World Championship in Japan and reached the Semi-Finals but did not receive as much playing time as he had hoped.

He went on to compete in the NBA from 2006 to 2009 and did well with the Charlotte Bobcats and Detroit Pistons, but Herrmann decided to stop making himself available for the national team.

The Argentina coach at the time, Sergio Hernandez, said that door would always be open to Herrmann.

Herrmann continued to play professionally in Spain before going back to Argentina in 2011 to compete for Unión Deportiva de Venado Tuerto.

This week Argentina announced this week that Herrmann had ended his time away from the national side and would travel to Angola this month for a couple of friendly games with a view to playing for the country's 'B' team at the South American Championship.

There is a very good chance that Herrmann, now 32, will play at the London Games.

FIBA