RIO DE JANEIRO (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - There is plenty at stake for the Brazil team that is preparing for this month's South American Championship, which is to be held on Margarita Island in Venezuela.

Up for grabs at the tournament are places at next year's FIBA Americas Championship, and the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.

Players also have an opportunity to show they merit one of the two places still available in the Brazil squad that is to compete at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

"You can be sure that we are always watching and evaluating…," said Brazil coach Ruben Magnano, who will lead the Brazilians when they play at Spain 2014 in Group A against the hosts, France, Serbia, Iran and Egypt.

His national team assistant, Jose Alves Neto, is leading the squad in the build-up to the South American Championship.

Neto, who led club side Flamengo to a FIBA Americas League and Brazilian NBB double in 2013-14, is full of enthusiasm ahead of the trip to Venezuela.

"Let's play this competition not only thinking about acquiring vacancies for pre-Olympic and Pan American Games," he said.

"We're going to fight for the title.

"We have little time to train so let’s do our best when we do."

A couple of the players involved in the South American Championship team - the Spanish Liga Endesa-based 22-year-old pair of Raul 'Raulzinho' Neto and Rafael Freire Luz - have already played for the senior team in big competitions and may have the inside track to making the squad for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The former made his senior team bow at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey while Luz first appeared in 2011 at the Jenaro "Tuto" Marchand Continental Cup and the FIBA Americas Championship.

Raulzinho's NBA rights are held by the Utah Jazz.

The squad has gathered in Brazil this week to start getting ready for the tournament in Venezuela.

Rafael Hettsheimeir has yet to determine his plans for next season and is not training with Brazil yet.

Another absentee is Bruno Caboclo, the 20th selection in last week's NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. The 18-year-old is currently having workouts with the Canadian franchise.

Brazil preliminary squad for South American Championship: George Frederico Torres Homem Chaia (Gege), Rafael Freire Luz, Ricardo Fischer, Vitor Alves Benite, Arthur Luiz Belchior Silva, Leonardo Simões Meindl, Carlos Alexandre do Nascimento (Olivinha), Henrique Macia Alves da Cruz (Pilar), Jefferson William Rodrigues Antonio, Jhonatan Luz dos Santos, Augusto Cesar de Lima Brito, Cristiano Silva Felício, Lucas Fernandes Mariano, Rafael Ferreira de Souza and Rafael Hettsheimeir.

FIBA