Career: Shakhtyor Donetsk (Ukraine-Superleague, 1996-2002), Azovmash Mariupol (Ukraine-Superleague, 2002-05).

At 30 years old, Volodymyr Gurtovyy will be the elder statesman on the national team. More surprising, he will make his grand debut on the European scene as he has never played in a major international tournament before... After playing most of his career with Shakhtyor Donetsk, Gurtovyy moved to Mariupol in 2002. Right away, he became a very productive inside player in the FIBA Europe League averaging 15.8 points and 9.2 rebounds and captured back-to-back championship Superleague titles. With his new squad he established himself as one of the best, if not the best, domestic center in the league... During the preparation games, while Ukraine was still waiting for his stars playing abroad, Gurtovyy was the leader of the national team, displaying a great array of post moves.