Rakocevic last played for the national team in 2006 when Serbia and Montenegro received a wild card to compete at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Ivkovic recently flew to Spain to meet with Rakocevic, who expressed an interest in playing but stopped short of committing himself to the side after citing the need to have some rest after the ACB play-offs.

Veteran guard Milos Vujanic, who has been plagued by knee injuries in his career, captained the team last summer but is not fully fit and has been left out.

Nenad Krstic, Serbia's leading scorer last year, is included.

Krstic left the Russian Superleague over the Christmas holidays for Oklahoma City in the NBA and had a fine season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 46 games.

He led Serbia in scoring (13.7) and rebounding (5.7) last year.

Rakocevic isn't the only Spain-based player named in the 13-man group.

Ivkovic has brought back the impressive DKV Joventut forward Luka Bogdanovic along with Pamesa Valencia duo Vule Avdalovic and Kosta Perovic.

Avdalovic did not play last summer.

Milos Teodosic and Zoran Erceg (both Olympiacos) are in the Greek domestic league play-offs along with Dusan Kecman (Panathinaikos).

Another Greek-based player who has made the team is Ivan Radenovic of Panellinios. Radenovic played college basketball in America at Arizona State.

Branko Cvetkovic played in six qualifying games for Serbia last year but has been left off.

Impressive young guard Stefan Markovic and 20-year-old center Boban Marjanovic have retained their places in the squad along with the Partizan Belgrade contingent of Milenko Tepic, Uros Tripkovic and Novica Velickovic.

Cleveland's Sasha Pavlovic, New Orleans Hornet Peja Stojakovic were not named.

Darko Milicic, the seven-foot center who left Serbia for the Detroit Pistons as a teenager several years ago after being made a lottery pick, has not been included.

The 23-year-old appeared in 61 games and averaged 17 minutes per contest this season with Memphis.

Milicic has struggled to get his career on track in America since joining the Pistons as a rookie for the 2003-04 campaign.

Veteran guard Marko Jaric, a teammate of Milicic's with the Memphis Grizzlies, expressed an interesting in returning to the national team set-up for the first time since EuroBasket 2005 but was left off.

Serbia will play in the same Preliminary Round group with world champions Spain, Slovenia and Great Britain.

Serbia EuroBasket 2009 Squad:

Ivkovic called Milos Teodosic, Stefan Markovic, Vule Avdalovic, Milenko Tepic, Igor Rakocevic, Uros Tripkovic, Dusan Kecman, Novica Velickovic, Zoran Erceg, Ivan Radenovic, Luka Bogdanovic, Nenad Krstic, Kosta Perovic and Boban Marjanovic.