TAMPA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - One of the luxuries of having Kentucky Wildcats boss John Calipari as national team coach for a couple of summers was that the Dominican Republic squad had an opportunity to use the facilities in Lexington during their preparations for tournaments.

With Calipari's successor in the Dominican hot seat, Orlando Antigua, recently appointed as head coach of the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls in Tampa, Florida, the door to that university's facilities is now open for the national team that has qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

"This is something we have spoken about since the beginning," Antigua said, "and this is what we have thought about.

"They have made everything available so that our team gets in there, but I will leave everything in the hands of national team (organizers)."

Having good practice facilities is extremely important to a national team's preparations.

Antigua, who had served as an assistant to Calipari at both Kentucky and with the Dominican Republic team, made a terrific impression as the lead man in his first summer as head coach of the national squad.

The Dominicans clinched a top-four finish at the FIBA Americas Championship in Caracas, Venezuela, to seal a place in the World Cup.

Their last appearance at a FIBA World Championship was in 1978.

At this summer's tournament in Spain, the Dominican Republic will square off against the United States, Finland, New Zealand, Ukraine and Turkey in Group C.

Antigua is putting most of his energy right now into his new job as USF coach and he's bringing an international flair to the university.

Shooting guard Nehemias Morillo is the first player to commit to the Bulls under Antigua, signing his national letter of intent on 2 May.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Morillo played two seasons at Monroe College in New York. He averaged 12.2 points and four assists last season.

"Nehemias is a really long, versatile wing that can play multiple positions," Antigua said.

"He's a skilled, aggressive and an athletic guard. We are extremely excited to have him join our family."

The second player to commit is Ruben Guerrero, a native of Malaga, Spain.

Last season, Guerrero played for Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, averaging 9.3 points and 8.5 rebounds.

The 2.11m Spaniard played on his country's team that finished third at the 2013 U18 European Championship in Latvia.

"He's a long, athletic, skilled big man that can play a couple of positions," Antigua said.

"He's a great kid coming from a great program in Sunrise Christian. He's also a good student and will be a great representation of our program at USF."

FIBA