TORONTO (NBA/2015 FIBA Americas Championship) - The Venezuela basketball fans know when Greivis Vasquez is in town.

Vasquez draws attention like no one else can in Caracas.

He is a flamboyant player. Eyes immediately find him when he's on the hardwood.

The 28-year-old point guard is always on a mission to win, and to entertain while doing so.

Venezuela knew they had a special player in the making when Vasquez played American college basketball at Maryland.

He was so good that the Terrapins raised his jersey to the rafters to hang alongside shirts of some of the university's other greats.

He is now an NBA player and a very good one at that.

Vasquez is helping the Toronto Raptors win plenty of games and making them have the look of a team that is going to be very dangerous come playoff time.

Once the season ends, it will be all about Venezuela and the FIBA Americas Championship.

Venezuela will go into the tournament (25 August-6 September) in Mexico, hoping to qualify for next year's Rio de Janeiro Games.

Vasquez knows he has a vital role to play.

"It's going to be a very important tournament for us," Vasquez said to FIBA.com.

The goal is to try to qualify for the next Olympic games - Vasquez

"Everybody dreams about going to Rio next year and I would like to participate at least once in my life in that incredible world sport event.

"The first goal for me is to help the Raptors have their best season ever, then be healthy in order to help the national team have a great campaign at the FIBA Americas."

Healthy is not what Vasquez was in 2013, when an injury forced him to skip the FIBA Americas Championship.

How badly did that impact the team?

Well, consider that in 2012, when Venezuela hosted the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Vasquez averaged 24 points and five rebounds in his country's two games.

Without him in 2013, Venezuela had a good side but did not claim a top-four finish that was necessary to reach the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Right now, Vasquez is concentrating on his duties with Toronto, where he has teammates like Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania, USA international DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson.

"We have a lot of talent and we have been proving in the last couple of months that we can beat every team in this league," Vasquez said.

"The early elimination in the first round of the playoffs last year was very frustrating and the goal is to do better this season.

Fighting for the NBA title is a goal for every player and every team in this league and we would like to bring a ring sooner or later to Toronto. - Vasquez

Vasquez is thrilled to be a part of a winning team.

He is getting to play a lot for Toronto and contribute, averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 22.6 minutes.

"I am very happy to be here," he said.

"Signing a new contract with the Raptors and staying in Toronto was the best option for me last summer.

"I feel like I am home and I am doing my best for the franchise.

"I am feeling great and productive when I am on the court.

"I feel very comfortable with my teammates and with the fans, who are probably the best in the whole league."

Vasquez makes plenty of highlight reel plays as a Raptor.

He stresses that while the Raptors have been very good at times, they can still improve a lot.

"Everyone has been playing well and we are motivated to try to have a better record than last season," Vasquez said.

"We also know that we can be more solid defensively, but I am not worried, as I know that we are working hard on that aspect of our game."

Once the NBA season does end for Vasquez, he'll turn his thoughts immediately to his national team.

"It is an honor for me and I take that mission very seriously," he said.

"I am a hard worker and I want to show to my countrymen that I am doing my best to make them proud of me.

"I also want to show to the young Venezuelans that everything is possible and that you can achieve your dreams by working hard."

Even in the NBA, Vasquez believes he has a role to play for his homeland.

"I am Venezuelan and very proud to represent my country in the best league in the world," he said.

FIBA