Talented Pineiro key to Puerto Rico's revival

GUANGZHOU (China) - Those rich images of Puerto Rico's golden generation remain iconic.

Carlos Arroyo lighting up Team USA – who boasted Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and a teenage LeBron James – at the Athens Olympics and Puerto Rico upsetting Yugoslavia and Spain at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002 are some of the most memorable. 

Puerto Rico's entertaining style dazzled basketball fans and inspired a generation back home.

Unfortunately, the magic of old has died down in recent times with Puerto Rico not getting out of the World Cup Group Phase since their Quarter-Final run 17 years ago in Indianapolis.

But a new wave of talented youngsters hope to revive the Caribbean nation's basketball heyday, starting with a good showing in China.

Puerto Rico boast a youthful squad headlined by numerous exciting players, most notably Isaiah Pineiro who was recently signed by the Sacramento Kings on an Exhibit 10 contract after playing at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

It means the 24-year-old will be part of the Kings' training camp where he will fight for a roster spot.

Before then, Pineiro gets to showcase his skills on the biggest stage in basketball. The 6ft7in (2.01m) forward has the size and athleticism to be a match-up problem for opponents and those attributes make him ideal in coach Eddie Casiano's fast paced tempo.

Pineiro says he is excited to make his debut under basketball's brightest lights. "It's a great feeling. I hope to gain a lot of experience," he says. "It will be great to play against some of the best players in the world. I want to use this as a launch pad for my career."

Puerto Rico are expected to fight with Iran and Tunisia for Group C's second spot behind powerhouse Spain but arrive in China on the back of an underwhelming preparation period. Pineiro expects his team to rediscover their best when it matters most.

"We have to play together on offense and we definitely want to play fast," he says. "We don't have the size of other teams but will need to defend as a team."

"I BELIEVE THE WORLD CUP CAN BE THE START OF A SPECIAL 10-YEAR RUN."- Isaiah Pineiro

When Puerto Rico were packing a punch, Pineiro was too young to grasp the importance of the team's achievements but, these days, it serves as inspiration.

"It's been the last couple of years that I've really caught up with what happened back then and it has really sparked by love for Puerto Rico basketball," he says.

"We have a lot of and coming talent in this team and believe the World Cup can be the start of a special 10-year run for Puerto Rico."

FIBA