PUR - García gets green light to join training

SAN JUAN (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - Ángel “Piwi” García has joined his Puerto Rico teammates in full training as they prepare for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Caracas, Venezuela.

The 2.11m power forward/center had surgery on his right knee back in September.

He initially planned to travel to Memphis to be examined by specialists there, but Puerto Rico’s doctors looked at the knee and have given him the all clear to play.

“The doctors decided that it wasn't worth travelling to Memphis and decided to do some tests on my knee and gave me the green light to be able to play,” García said.

“They did a total of four tests before I could start to play.

“The recovery time was a month earlier to what was expected but it was down to a lot of dedication and therapy that I had to do in order to return.”

García, who last played for CB Granada in Spain, wants to be on the court as much as possible to boost his chances of making the final 12-man squad.

“I would like to play all the time if they let me in order to get the feeling of the game,” he said.

“I have to get that, little by little, and that takes a couple of days, but eventually you get there.”

As for his first full practice, the 23-year-old García said: “I felt a bit strange in the first training as it's not the same to be seven months training alone but rather now, I have (Puerto Rico center) Peter John giving me knocks and all went okay.”

García averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds for Puerto Rico at the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship in Serbia.

At the OQT, which gets underway on 2 July, 12 teams will battle for the three remaining spots to the London Games.

Puerto Rico are in Group A with Greece and Jordan and face a potential Quarter-Final against Lithuania, Nigeria or hosts Venezuela.

The winners of the Semi-Finals will advance to London, while the losers of those games will fight for the third and last spot to the Olympics.

FIBA