Gregory Echenique heads to Venezuela with hopes of the Olympics (Adam Streur/WBR)
Gregory Echenique’s first trip back home to Venezuela last summer was great. The trip this summer might be even better. Creighton’s senior center had the opportunity last summer to play for his native country’s national team in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Although they came up a little short, the Venezuela National Team still qualified for one final opportunity to get to London to play for the gold later this summer.
Brazil and Argentina qualified for the Olympics as the top two teams in the FIBA America’s qualifier last summer. Venezuela finished fifth, which allowed them to qualify for the FIBA World Olympic Qualifier this summer. Earlier this year it was announced that Venezuela would get to host this qualifying tournament winning the draw over Angola, Lithuania, and Macedonia. Out of this qualifier three teams will advance to the Olympics in August.
Echenique has a different feel for things in his second trip back to his native country. The best part is being able to play the games in front of a home crowd.
“It will be a great experience. The last time I had a tournament in Venezuela was with my junior national team a long time ago. I was starting my second year in high school around that time.” Echenique recalled. “The crowd was really good and loud- they enjoy basketball down there and especially when it comes down to watching their national team. Obviously, this tournament coming up is a huge deal for everyone in Venezuela. I’m expecting a lot of people there supporting us. We can definitely use that to our advantage because it’s better to have people on our side than against us.”
The difference between college hoops and international play is noticeable. That may have had an effect on Echenique after he returned last summer from the first qualifier. It took him a few games during his junior season at CU to find a groove. Once his adjustment was complete, however, Echenique was a constant force. He earned the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year award on a team that wasn’t necessarily known for its defense. With the international flavor of hoops, defense works a little differently.
“I think the way you play defense is a big thing. If you play defense in FIBA basketball like you do in college, you will most likely get scored on a lot, at least on the post. In FIBA ball I can use my hands more and push more than what I could in college, which is good for me. But I have that college mentality so I have to pass the switch. Also remember I can grab or hit the ball once it hits the basket and it won’t be goaltending.”
Grueling Schedule
Echenique left Omaha last Thursday to join his Venezuelan team, which has already been furiously preparing for the first week of
Echenique can be a beast in the post (Streur/WBR)
July when the FIBA World Olympic Qualifier takes place. Since mid-May, a majority of the team has been practicing as well as participating in some pre-qualifier tournaments.
Echenique has been working on several different things While in Omaha, including developing some go-to post moves and ones to counter opponents who take the initial moves away. He also worked on hand drills using tennis balls and further developing his agility and footwork. Add in a strong dose of weight room work, and Echenique hopes to become an even bigger force for the qualifying and during his last season at Creighton.
For the next week after Echenique arrives, the Venezuela National Team will be in Resistencia, Argentina, practicing and playing in a tournament that includes Chile, Argentina, and Columbia.
Then for the rest of June, they will return to Caracas, Venezuela, to continue practicing and playing games against Jordan, Angola, and Ivory Coast. All of this leads into the qualifier tournament that counts.
Twelve teams will fight for three spots to the Olympics. Here are the teams involved.
- Venezuela
- Russia
- Macedonia
- Lithuania
- Greece
- Dominican Republic
- Puerto Rico
- New Zealand
- Angola
- Nigeria
- Jordan
- Korea
For the opening rounds, the teams are split into four, three-team pods for pool play. Venezuela is grouped with Lithuania and Nigeria.
Here is the schedule for Venezuela in the opening round:
- July 2 — vs. Nigeria, 7 p.m.
- July 3 — vs. Lithuania, 7 p.m.
The top two teams from each pod then advance to the knockout stage tournament. In the quarterfinals, the two teams that advance from the Venezuela pod will face off against the top two teams from the pod that includes Greece, Puerto Rico, and Jordan, on July 6.
The semifinals take place July 7. The two winners will automatically qualify for the Olympics. The winner of the third place game, on July 8, will secure the final spot in the Olympics.
“We showed that we can play with anyone. We were considered underdogs, but all of our games were close ones and we had opportunities to win it. It just came down to some last minute plays and those don’t always go your way,” said Echenique. “And that tournament also let everyone know what their role is on the team and what we need to do to have a chance to win.”
If Venezuela qualifies for the Olympics, they will start play on July 28 in London, opening against Tunisia, Great Britain, or Argentina. For Echenique, he has his heart and soul into this chance
“I can speak for myself that the feeling of losing can hurt really bad, which is true at any level. [It hurts] even more so when a game or two can be the difference between playing in the Olympics or not. I think its safe to say that to make it to the Olympics for most athletes is the highest accomplishment they can achieve regardless the sport they play. For some, it’s a once in a life time opportunity. To be able to have a shot at doing this is special. It wont be easy but we will give it our best.”
As a special to White & Blue Review, follow Gregory Echenique and his quest for the Olympics with his running diary of updates.