Holland replaces Rosario on Puerto Rico OQT roster
BIELLA (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) – John Holland is travelling to Italy after receiving a call by Puerto Rico head coach Eddie Cassiano to join the national team in Biella, where the
BIELLA (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - John Holland is travelling to Italy after receiving a call from Puerto Rico head coach Eddie Cassiano to join the national team in Biella, where the 'Boricuas' are conducting the final stage of their preparations for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade.
A player renowned for his shooting prowess, Holland is to replace Michael Rosario on Puerto Rico's OQT final roster after the 25-year-old guard was released by the team because of an internal issue, the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation announced on Wednesday.
Holland, a 27-year-old small forward, did not play for Puerto Rico at the recent 2016 CentroBasket Championship - which ended with the Boricuas taking the title - but he has considerable international experience, having first suited up for the national team in 2011 and taken part in three consecutive FIBA Americas Championships.
John Holland se une a #SeleccionPUR en las próximas horas. #FIBAOQT Detalles: https://t.co/tgWhCuLxM8 pic.twitter.com/R53vSLk6SP
— FBPUR (@fbpur) 29 June 2016
Puerto Rico hope that Holland will arrive in Biella in time to see some playing time in their last two warm-up games, against Canada and Italy. Forward Ricky Sanchez will miss the first game as he is nursing a foot injury but veteran point guard Carlos Arroyo, who missed the CentroBasket because he was in action with his club FC Barcelona Lassa and joined the national team upon their arrival in Europe, is set to play with the Boricuas for the first time this summer.
"We are not at the level I would like, but we are working to get there," Cassiano told El Nuevo Dia daily. "Arroyo is one of the leaders of our team together with Jose Juan Barea. He is a player who knows what he needs to do. He is a veteran who knows well the big stage. With him on the team, we can have some alternative line-ups and see how our game improves."
Puerto Rico's opening game at the Belgrade OQT is against hosts Serbia on Monday while they will take on Angola the following day. If they advance, they will face one of the Czech Republic, Japan or Latvia in one of the two Semi-Finals.
FIBA