Team 2010-11: Armani Jeans Milano (Italy-Lega)

Career: BK Politekhnik Kharkov (Ukraine-Higher, 2003-05), BC Kyiv (Ukraine-Superleague, 2005) Paris Basket Racing (France-ProA 2005-06), BC Kyiv (Ukraine-Superleague, 2006-07), Washington Wizards (USA-NBA, 2007-09), Minnesota Timberwolves (USA-NBA, 2009-10), Armani Jeans Milano (Italy-Lega, 2010-11)

In Oleksiy Pecherov, Ukraine have a player with three years of NBA experience albeit coming off the bench. He is also someone who has been a stand-out player with the senior National Team. There is a lot more to Pecherov than merely his height and size since he can drive to the hoop to good effect and has impressive shot making ability. While he is played at the center position mostly, his game is well suited to the four spot since he has lots of mobility and that nice shooting touch which allows him to take defenders out to the perimeter. While his game from beyond the three-point line hasn't always been consistent, he remains enough of a threat for the defence to follow him, thus often creating space down low for a team-mate. He is an excellent free-throw shooter and if only he could be more aggressive, he might be even more of a danger. One of his main attributes remains his ability to hit long to mid-range jump shots with impressive frequency. He will also be one of the main rebounders for the team. At 25 he still has time to add more skills to his game and in particular improving his low-post play including his passing ability while on the block. He will be a key player for Ukraine and a major factor in whether they can progress at EuroBasket 2011. Pecherov played at his first EuroBasket tournament as a teenager back in 2005. Last season he played in Italy in Milan and despite missing a couple of months through injury, still managed to post good numbers.