ATHENS (Greece) - When Al Horford scored 30 against Korea in group stage, it was a clear message that the Dominican Republic could do some damage internationally. Once Francisco Garcia poured in 28 against North Macedonia in the Quarter-Finals, hope began to grow that they could reach the Olympics.
They lost the Semi-Finals to Lithuania without a chance to pull off an upset, but they still had the second chance, as the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament offered three spots to the Olympics back in 2012.
For 30 minutes, the Dominican Republic were trading blows with Nigeria. However, a 29-16 final quarter sent the African team to an 88-73 win, and to the London Olympics, while the island nation ended up being the first team below the qualification line.
They've waited for 12 years to get another shot at the Olympics. What better place than here, what better time than now for coach Che Garcia and his men to reach their first trip to the biggest sporting event?
The Roster
"The doors of the national team are open for all of the Dominican players, especially those in the NBA such as Al Horford, Karl-Anthony Towns, Chris Duarte, Lester Quinones and Justin Minaya," coach Garcia said when he was introduced back as the national team coach after a brief hiatus earlier this year.
However, deep NBA Playoffs runs kept Horford and Towns out of the training camp. Chris Duarte established himself as one of the leaders of this generation, putting smiles on fans' faces with his elite athleticism on display since day one, and the positive energy will once again be this team's biggest strength.
That's because they have a lethal combo in the backcourt with Andres Feliz and Jean Montero. Feliz is still just a 26-year-old, with three fabulous seasons in the Spanish Liga Endesa behind him already, including the 2023-24 campaign, in which he averaged career-highs of 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
As crazy as it sounds, the 20-year-old Montero was arguably even better! Playing for MoraBanc Andorra in Spain, he put up 15.7 points, 5.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds each night, with 2.0 steals also to his name.
All rounders and lightning bolts of energy. Even if they show up without their biggest stars.
The Question
They all said the idea behind this summer's lineup is to build a defensive force. Is that even possible, though? Because this team allowed a whopping 88.8 points per game at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, including back-to-back games of at least 100 points allowed in the Round of 16, eliminating them from the medal hunt completely. It's a gigantic job to change the mentality of the team in less than a year.
The Hope
The longevity. Coach Nestor Che Garcia signed a three-year contract, and he knows how to get to the Olympics, having achieved it with Argentina and Venezuela. Karl-Anthony Towns was successfully integrated to the program last summer, the youngsters are all committing long term to this team, and after a solid showing in the Philippines last summer, this is just a next step before the expected explosion next summer, at the FIBA AmeriCup 2025.
In other words, this doesn't feel like a one-hit wonder when it comes to making music on the court. It feels like they are only starting their symphony.
The Fear
It's not just the NBA guys, but Angel Delgado is also unavailable this summer, meaning the frontcourt could be depleted. It's not a big problem per se, but when you have huge athletic opponents such as Greece, Slovenia, Croatia or New Zealand, it could prove costly.
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