His 5 o'clock shadow was more like half past midnight and his trademark fly-away hair was especially unruly, plastered against his forehead as if he had just walked through a car wash.

Steve Nash was looking anything but the basketball saviour many have made him out to be.

The undisputed star of the Canadian men's basketball team was presented to the media yesterday as the squad prepares for an Olympic qualification tournament that will begin in San Juan next week.

Canada must finish among the top three in the tournament to qualify for the Athens Olympics next year, a tall order given that Nash, who plays point guard for the Dallas Mavericks, is the only member on the team with any National Basketball Association experience.

"To me, it's just an opportunity to represent my country and play with a great group of guys," Nash said in his typical low-key manner.