CHARLOTTE (2016 Rio Olympics) - Coming out of American college basketball as the Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Mexico point guard Jorge Gutierrez might have thought that an NBA career was imminent, that it wasn't a matter of if he would be drafted but of how high.

Yet the former University of California star says he had no expectations, just the determination that basketball was going to be his career.  

"I only worry about the things I have control of," the 27-year-old said to FIBA.com. Gutierrez graduated in 2012 yet was not selected by an NBA team in that year's draft.

That mindset, which has helped Mexico become relevant again on the international stage, and the work ethic that goes with it, has earned Gutierrez another shot at the NBA where he has been signed by the Charlotte Hornets for the rest of the 2015-16 season.

Prior to Charlotte, the 1.90m (6ft 3in) Gutierrez had stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets and saw the court in 35 games. Most of his professional action has been in the NBA Development League (NBDL), where he has played 135 games for the Canton Charge. That is where he was playing when the Hornets called him up for two 10-day contracts before signing him for the rest of the season. Since arriving in North Carolina, he's gotten on the court in five games for the Hornets, playing behind Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin.

"Throughout the 20 days, I came in and did what I can do, worked hard every day and proved that I can play," Gutierrez said.

He is just the fourth Mexican-born citizen to play in the NBA and the only one currently in the world's biggest league. Gutierrez's fellow national team star Gustavo Ayon spent three years in the NBA on four teams before heading to Europe after the 2014 FIBA World Basketball Cup. He joined Real Madrid and has been one of their best players the past two seasons.

Horacio Llamas Grey played 28 games with the Phoenix Suns during the 1996-97 and 1998-99 seasons. Two years later, Eduardo Najera joined the league and played 619 games for six teams over 12 seasons, coincidentally the last one being the Charlotte Bobcats, now Hornets, where he played two seasons before retiring in 2011.

Gutierrez's situation is similar to that of Mexico, a nation working hard to reclaim a place it once held among the basketball elite. Through the late 1960s, Mexico was a contender on the world stage, winning the bronze medal at the 1936 Olympic Games, finishing fourth in 1948 and fifth in 1968. They last played at a Summer Games in 1976 in Montreal, finishing 10^th.

More recently, though, Mexico were the surprise first-time winners of the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship in Caracas, Venezuela, which secured them qualification for the World Cup for the first time in 40 years. Gutierrez was a big part of that. 

By finishing fourth at the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship as the host nation, Mexico earned a slot in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs) field. They will take part in the OQT in Turin, Italy, where they will first face Greece and Iran in Group A. Croatia, Italy and Tunisia are in Group B. Only the winner of the three OQTs will qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Games.

While his focus is on finishing the season strong with Charlotte, a hot team that is marching towards the playoffs, Gutierrez does have one eye on the OQT. Making it to the Olympics would be a dream come true.

"I am always proud to play for my national team and it would be really nice to play for the national team in Italy," Gutierrez said.

It's going to be tough, but I know what we can do. Only the best teams go to the Olympics so if you want to go, you have to beat the best teams in the world. It's a good test for us. I think that we can do it. We've proved that we can play. - Gutierrez

Again, he's not expecting anything. Gutierrez knows that only hard work will give Mexico a chance, just as it has him a chance with the Hornets.

"He can get better but I like the way he plays," Hornets head coach Steve Clifford told FIBA.com of Gutierrez. "I like the way he works, I like having him around. But more than anything else, I have confidence that if Kemba (Walker) or Jeremy (Lin) got the flu tomorrow night, he could come right in and play well."

Our coaching staff, Rich [Cho, Hornet's General Manager], Michael [Jordan, team owner], we have confidence in him. He’s a good player. - Clifford

Defense is a priority for Clifford and Gutierrez has shown the Hornets he's a good player in that respect. The coach has only good things to say about that aspect of his game.

"He can guard," Clifford said. "Watch him. He's long; he knows angles; he anticipates. He's a really good competitor."

After playing two 10-day contracts with the Charlotte Hornets, Jorge Gutierrez was signed for the rest of the season. Photo courtesy of www.nba.com/hornets 

For his part, Gutierrez speaks with a quiet confidence that comes with the experience of making hard decisions. At only 15 years old he made the choice to leave his family and finish his high school years in the United States. The maturity and responsibility that most athletes hopefully gain in their first year in college came much earlier for him.

"I guess (I was) a little bit more (mature) than the other kids but I had to grow once I arrived because I had to take care of myself," he recalled. "I had to do all the things that my mom would normally do for me."

Gutierrez knew what he wanted. He had goals and they were not going to be easy to achieve. But he has been determined.

I wanted to prove that I could play not just in Mexico but in another country and the best basketball in the world is in the United States. - Gutierrez

"That was the plan all along since I left home, having a career in basketball, making it to the NBA. I was going to do everything in my power to prove that I can play and the results would take care of themselves," he said.

The desire to prove he belongs. The same can be said for El Tri.

As goes Gutierrez, so goes Mexico.

FIBA