Argentina Final Roster for 2012 London Olympics Finalized

Argentina released their final roster for the 2012 London Olympics on Tuesday night.

Marcos Mata and Facundo Campazzo made the final cut, beating veteran shooting guard Pablo Quinteros and young point guard Nicolas Laprovittola for the final roster spot for the 2012 London Games.

Quinteros played a huge role for Argentina in the past major international tournaments like the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but head coach Julio Lamas opted to go with Mata and Campazzo for defensive purposes.

“The decision that Campazzo is in the team has to do with the defensive input he offers, which gives the team something extra,” Lamas said. “In the case of Mata and Quinteros, it’s a similar situation, for what Marcos gives on defense and rebounds. I think the team needs to reinforce the defensive work and that made me go for Marcos.”

Current and former NBA players Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Andres Nocioni, Carlos Delfino, and Pablo Prigioni, who recently inked a deal with the New York Knicks, made the squad, who are looking for a medal finish in London.

“We aspire to achieve a medal but we know it’s not going to be easy because there are different teams that have a similar level,” Lamas said. “It’s our feeling and hopes to be on the podium again.”

Argentina will be competing in Group A of the men’s basketball tournament where they will be going up against powerhouse Team USA, France, Lithuania, Tunisia, and Nigeria.

The Argentinean squad is scheduled to play against Spain in an exhibition match on Wednesday in Madrid.

Argentina Men’s Basketball Roster for the 2012 London Olympics

• Pablo Prigioni
• Facundo Campazzo
• Emanuel Ginobili
• Carlos Delfino
• Andres Nocioni
• Federico Kammerichs
• Hernan Jasen
• Marcos Mata
• Luis Scola
• Leonardo Gutierrez
• Martin Leiva
• Juan Gutierrez