At the age of 32, Benes is the oldest member on the Czech team and this tournament will be the pinnacle of his international career. The experienced point guard will be a rookie at this level of competition, though it seemed that his international career was over a few years ago after playing in all the Qualifying campaigns but never in EuroBasket. Benes, called “Beny”, was only a substitute in his last seasons – in Opava he backed-up long-time National Team captain Czudek and in Nymburk he was the number two behind American Maurice Whitfield. Whatever you want to say about him, Benes is a magnet for good results, winning seven Czech League titles. A big fan of U2, Benes got his second wind last season when he surpassed US playmaker Walker Russell in Nymburk and became the starting point guard for the three-time champions. And as a little big man, he will be one of the leaders of the Czech team at this EuroBasket.