Athens-bound Argentine overcomes family griefs

"The novelty of the story made the country sad for me, and wherever we went in Argentina the press was following me. So we went to Spain, and the first three months I was very angry and had a very bad time, but after that I stuck my head up," he said. "It was complicated. You never get used to the idea that you've lost your family and your girlfriend."

Following his 2003-04 season in Spain, Herrmann returned to Argentina and tried out for the Olympic team.

"He earned his spot on this team," teammate Manu Ginobili said. "He earned a lot of respect from us."

On July 18, the one-year anniversary of his tremendous loss, he had 38 points and 11 rebounds to lead Argentina to the South American championship.

"I slept very poorly the day before, couldn't get any sleep. But after midnight I felt like it was a special day for me. I had the thought that (my family) would be helping me," he said.

But when Herrmann returned to his hotel that night, he received word that his father had died of a heart attack.

When Herrmann was put on the Olympic team by coach Ruben Magnano, he surprised his countrymen by accepting the invitation and traveling to Europe for an exhibition tour just more than a week after his father's death.

"Now I am of the mind to look in front of me," Herrmann said, "and not behind."