Centrobasket team forms basis for Puerto Rico's OQT roster

SAN JUAN (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - The Juan Barea-led Puerto Rico side which is set to clash with Mexico in Saturday night's Centrobasket Championship Final forms the basis for the 12-man roster which head coach Eddie Casiano has selected for the upcoming FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade.

Puerto Rico 12-player roster for 2016 FIBA OQT in Belgrade
Carlos Arroyo	Renaldo Balkman	Jose Juan Barea	Ramon Clemente
Guillermo Diaz	Jorge Bryan Diaz	Alexander Galindo	David Huertas
Peter Ramos	Michael Rosario	Ricky Sanchez	Angel Vasallo

Casiano had stated early on that his intention was to field if possible the same roster in both events and in fact the 'Boricuas' will make only the one change they had announced already prior to the Centrobasket. Veteran floor general Carlos Arroyo will join the squad after they land in Europe next week, replacing Alex Abreu on the roster.

Arroyo, who turns 37 in July, last suited up for the national team at 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He was playing up until last Wednesday in the Spanish Liga Endesa finals with eventual runners-up FC Barcelona and was therefore unable to join Puerto Rico at Centrobasket 2016.

The Barcelona playmaker is the oldest player on the Puerto Rico roster for the OQT but by no means the only seasoned veteran on a team replete with experience, especially in the back-court, as fellow point guard and captain Barea, who is coming off a fantastic individual season with the Dallas Mavericks, turns 32 the day after the Centrobasket final.

The four youngest players on the roster are 25-year-old guard Michael Rosario, 26-year-old big man Jorge Bryan Diaz and 29-year-olds David Huertas and Ricky Sanchez.

Rosario has been showcasing his scoring prowess at Centrobasket and leads Puerto Rico's offense - by far the best in the competition - with 16 points per game going into the final. Star center Peter Ramos averages 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds while Barea has been contributing 10.5 points to go with his team-best 5.8 assists per contest.

As always however, star small forward Angel Vassalo steps up in big games and he poured in a game-high 18 points on Friday night in a 74-69 Semi-Final win over the Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico trailed by 10 points in the second quarter but the switch to a smaller, more mobile line-up and four vital three-pointers by Vassalo enabled them to turn the game on its head and punch their ticket to the final.