Aug 20, 2014; New York, NY, USA; United States guard Kyrie Irving (10) controls the ball against Dominican Republic guard Juan Coronado (6) during the second quarter of a game at Madison Square Garden.
Aug 20, 2014; New York, NY, USA; United States guard Kyrie Irving (10) controls the ball against Dominican Republic guard Juan Coronado (6) during the second quarter of a game at Madison Square Garden. Reuters

Dominican Republic team will head to the 2014 FIBA World Cup with a strong squad under coach Orlando Antigua, who is the former Calipari assistant and the present head coach of the South Florida Bulls men's basketball team.

In 2011, the Dominican Republic basketball national team won the third place at the FIBA Americas Championship and in 2012, they landed fourth in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Dominican Republic recently faced the Team USA in an exhibition game, where the Americans recorded a 113-59 victory. Dominican Republic and Team USA are once again scheduled to face each other in a preliminary round play at the 2014 FIBA World Cup on September 3.

Dominican Republic Projected 14-Man Roster for 2014 World Cup in Spain:

Francisco Garcia, Jack Michael Martinez, Eulis Baez, James Feldeine, Edgar Sosa, Victor Liz, Juan Coronado, Gerardo Suero, Manuel Fortuna, Eloy Vargas, Ronald Ramon, Edward Santana, Orlando Sanchez and Luis Montero.

The Dominicans will be led by Francisco Garcia, a Houston Rockets guard who starred at the University of Louisville and James Feldeine, guard who played collegiately at Quinnipiac University.

Orlando Sanchez, who is a former St. John's big man, was chosen to represent the country after going undrafted in June's NBA draft.

Former St. John's big man Orlando Sanchez was among those selected to participate for the Dominican Republic in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Sanchez is no stranger to the international basketball scene; he was previously ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the 2012-2013 season because he was discovered to appear in a competition for the Dominican Republic national team but it was then overturned and he was rewarded one year college eligibility.

Sanchez competed in the 2014 Centro Basketball Championship, where he averaged 3.3 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game.

The 2014 FIBA World Cup will kick off in Spain on August 30 through September 14. The Dominican Republic national team has been grouped with USA, Finland, Turkey, Ukraine and New Zealand in Group C.

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