SERGIO RODRIGUEZ THRILLED TO CAPTAIN SPAIN IN BIG GAME AT UKTAINE, “IT'S VERY SPECIAL (SPAIN CAPTAIN). I'VE BEEN IN THE TEAM FOR MANY YEARS, MANY TOURNAMENTS. IT'S GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL TO GIVE MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE GROUP IN THIS WINDOW.”

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KIEV (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Once upon a time there was a flashy point guard named Sergio Rodriguez who, despite the hype surrounding his enormous talent, wasn't an automatic selection in Spain's national side.
Those days are long gone with "El Chacho" now among the first players coach Sergio Scariolo wants to write on his team list. He is in the side for this week's European Qualifiers at Ukraine (September 14) and at home to Latvia (September 17).
The 32-year-old, who started making waves with the senior team while throwing perfect alley-oop passes to Rudy Fernandez during Spain's title-winning run at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Japan 12 years ago - but then wasn't chosen to play at the 2008 Olympics, FIBA EuroBaskets 2009 and 2011, and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2010 - has been a no-doubt-about it pick ever since.Rodriguez will captain the side, too, which underlines his importance to the program.
"It's very special," he said of the honor. "I've been in the team for many years, many tournaments. It's going to be beautiful to give my experience with the group in this window.
"We have few days to train, we have important and difficult games. We are eager to win and qualify for the World Cup."Rodriguez will lead a team that hardly put a foot wrong in the First Round. Spain won all six of their games to move within touching distance of a spot in the World Cup. The only other sides in the Qualifiers that have yet to fall are Lithuania, France, Germany and Greece.
By contrast, Ukraine enter the Second Round with a 3-3 record and looking to get back on track after enduring an 80-66defeat at Turkey and a 93-71 beatdown by Latvia in Kiev in the third window. 
Their team is getting a boost.
The country will not only have 7ft (2.13m) center Viacheslav Kravtsov, whose 60 points in the paint in the First Round were the most among all European players in the competition, but also fellow giant Oleksii Len, a player with several years of NBA experience under his belt.
Sviatoslav 'Svi' Mykhailiuk, a draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, is in the team, too.

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