Venezuela leave for Spain training camp

CARACAS (2016 South American Championship/Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - Venezuela's players are leaving for Spain on Tuesday to begin their preparations for the 2016 South American Championship.

Che Garcia's team, which used a spell on the Iberian Peninsula last year as a launchpad for a title-winning run at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City, will host the 2016 South American Championship in Caracas (26 June-2 July). The Vinotinto will compete at the Rio de Janeiro Games in August.

Twenty-six players are in the preliminary squad for the 10-team event to be played on home soil.

This includes the 12 that achieved glory at last year's FIBA Americas Championship by upsetting Canada in the Semi-Finals and Argentina in the Final.

Among last year's heroes was Heissler Guillent, the guard who drilled four three-pointers and scored 19 points in the victory over the Canadians.

The Guaros de Lara playmaker hit the sidelines in January with a partial rupture of his Achilles tendon and underwent surgery. With his recovery having gone well, the Caracas native will be in the traveling party.

There will be some late arrivals. Miguel Marriaga and Luis Hurtado will not arrive in Europe until 5 June due to personal reasons. Gregory Vargas, who hit the go-ahead free-throw in the win over Canada with a second remaining, is still in action with Maccabi Haifa in Israel and John Cox, a member of last year's team, has tendinitis and is listed as day-to-day. He will continue to have treatment before leaving for Spain.

While the majority of players will depart from Venezuela, some will have journeys that begin in other countries. David Cubillan, who has been having individual workouts in the Dominican Republic, will leave from the Caribbean country and arrive 2 June. Gregory Echenique, Dwight Lewis and Anthony Perez will depart from the United States and should be in Spain for the first day of practice.

The country's lone NBA player, point guard Greivis Vasquez, is to join the team for the second stage of its preparations after the South American Championship.

Michael Carrera, who just completed a standout NCAA career with the South Carolina Gamecocks, will also join for the second stage. The forward is trying out with NBA teams and looking to play in the summer league. He is hopeful of linking up with Venezuela after the event in Caracas.

FIBA