Brazil determined to win Gold

The Brazilian National Team comes into the 2010 FIBA World Championship with a Gold medal win in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship and with a new coach, Ruben Magnano, who guided Argentina to a level of unprecedented success.

The Brazilian national team has a rich history in the FIBA World Championship, winning two titles and having achieved a medal each time between 1954 and 1970 - their last one coming in 1978. But, Brazil in spite of remaining consistent, have suffered a hard fall during the last 16 years, their best finish being eighth place in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

That should change this time around after a gold medal in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship and the signing of head coach Ruben Magnano - known for leading the ‘Golden Generation’ of Argentinean basketball that won silver at the 2002 FIBA World Championship and a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics under his guidance.

Brazil has a golden generation of their own going with Leandrinho Barbosa, Nene Hilario and Anderson Varejao playing in the NBA and being key figures in their teams. They also have many players in Europe and the new Brazilian National League which is already one of the best in the Americas.

Their early exit from the 2006 FIBA World Championship gave the Brazilians the motivation needed last year in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship to assemble the best team possible. Not only did they provide a great offensive display, but overall they were the best defensive team in the tournament, losing only one game on their way to the gold medal.

They dominated last year although missing some important pieces like Nene Hilario and Marquinhos due to injury. Hilario came back from cancer to have a solid season in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets while Marquinhos established himself again playing in the top division of Italian basketball. Their addition along with the already seasoned talent will make Brazil a top contender in this tournament.

This year their expectations will be higher as rising stars like Tiago Splitter and Raul Togni Neto come into the mix. Splitter was the MVP of the ACB league with champions Caja Laboral and will play in the NBA next season with the San Antonio Spurs. ‘Raulzinho’ is the next big thing coming from Brazil, being the best prospect in the point guard position and already shows signs of greatness in many international competitions.

Leandrinho, who was their leading scorer last year in the qualifier, comes back and he knows that in 2006 he didn’t have his best tournament. He will have more help this time with Marcelo Huertas in the point guard position and a more capable Anderson Varejao on offence. "We have an excellent group, we are going to have a great preparation and a fantastic job,” said head coach Ruben Magnano about this team.

Not only do they have great talent overseas, but players like Alex Garcia, Marcelinho Machado, Guilherme, Raulzinho, among others, play in Brazil and represent them in international club competitions as well. So Magnano has a lot of talent to choose from.

It will be a great challenge for Brazil as they are in Group C along with Croatia, Iran, Tunisia, Slovenia and USA. Their defence and team-play will be key in order to have a great showing since they hope for a return to the glory years of Brazilian basketball.