VICTORIA (Canada) – Six teams, one Olympic ticket. What’s the biggest question facing each hopeful this week in Victoria?

Who will stand out for Turkey?

Aside from host Canada, Turkey brings the most NBA star power to the OQT in Victoria.

Ersan Ilyasova, Furkan Korkmaz and Cedi Osman recently ended their professional seasons and provide Turkey with top-level talent as they vie for their first Olympic berth since 1952.

Ilyasova, 34, has played with the national team since 2006 and is averaging 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds over 52 career FIBA appearances. He led Turkey to a silver medal at the 2010 FIBA World Cup.

Then there’s Osman, who lit up the 2019 FIBA World Cup with 20.4 points per game, and Korkmaz, who has buried 45.5 percent of his 3-pointers in 21 career FIBA games.

And you can't ignore 18-year-old Alperen Sengun, a potential NBA Lottery pick.

With that many capable scorers, the role of lead dog figures to change hands every game.

Who will step up for Greece?

Giannis Antetokounmpo. Vassilis Spanoulis. Giorgos Printezis. All key contributors, all unavailable for the Greeks.

Greece faces a competitive field and must climb “a huge mountain to get by Canada,” coach Rick Pitino told FIBA in January 2020. Greece, a proud basketball nation, hasn’t qualified for the Olympics since 2008.

It won’t be easier this year. With Antetokounmpo, Spanoulis and Printezis headlining the team’s absences, who can Greece lean on to rise to the challenge?

Nick Calathes has played in NCAA Division I, the NBA and overseas, including two seasons under Pitino at Panathinaikos. At 32, he’s the oldest player on Greece’s roster. But he also has the pedigree to lead.

Other candidates include Kostas Sloukas, who has logged 42 games with the senior national team. There's also 7ft 1in (2.16m), 23-year-old big man Georgios Papagiannis, who also played for Pitino at Panathinaikos and has been with the senior national team since he was 18. The team also has championship pedigree in Kostas Antetokounmpo, Giannis’ younger brother who won The NBA Finals  last year with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Can China extend its streak?

The Chinese have qualified for every Olympics since 1984 - nine Games in a row - the third-longest active streak behind Australia (13) and the United States (10).

Can they do it again in Victoria?

They’ll be without multiple key pieces, including star center Yi Jianlian, who missed the 2020-21 CBA season with an Achilles injury. Ailun Guo and Zhelin Wang will also be absent.

With an average age of 24, China boast one of the youngest rosters at the Olympic Qualifier. But their FIBA World Rank of 29 doesn’t bode well for their odds.

Can Nick Nurse do it again?

As head coach of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, Nurse earned beloved status in Canada by leading the country’s only NBA team to a championship in 2019. He can reaffirm that affection in Victoria if he leads the Canadians back to the Olympics, where they haven’t been since 2000.

He’ll have a bevy of NBA talent at his disposal, including Andrew Wiggins, RJ Barrett and Luguentz Dort. There's also former No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Anthony Bennett, who led Canada with 18 points per game at the 2020 AmeriCup Qualifiers.

Event organizers in Victoria will permit an unknown number of fans into the arena for Olympic Qualifier matches beginning July 1, which should further energize Nurse’s star-studded squad.

Can Satoransky carry the Czechs?

Tomas Satoransky doesn’t quite carry the weight of a nation on his shoulders this week, but all eyes will be on him as the Czech Republic takes aim at its first Olympics since the separation of Czechoslovakia.

Satoransky, of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, is one of four Czech players to ever make it to the NBA, further propping up his star status. He dazzled in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup with 15.5 points, 8.5 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, and will be expected to produce similar numbers this week in Victoria.

Can Uruguay pull an upset?

Uruguay are the underdogs of the field, entering the tournament 45^th in the FIBA World Rank. Their most experienced player, center Esteban Batista, is 37 years old. Uruguay’s average age is 29.

But if they’re going to swing an upset in Victoria, maybe Uruguay’s veteran know-how will be key. Nicolas Borsellino, Mathias Calfani, Bruno Fitipaldo, Luciano Parodi and Kiril Wachsmann all have significant FIBA experience that could prove useful against the younger teams in the field.

FIBA