France opt for experience as list of 16 confirmed for November window
PARIS (France) - Head coach Vincent Collet has confirmed a list of 16 players selected to represent the French senior team in the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.
PARIS (France) - Head coach Vincent Collet has confirmed a list of 16 players selected to represent the French senior team in the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.
France achieved a third-placed finish at the previous edition in China in 2019 and recently claimed a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with Andrew Albicy part of that 12-man roster. The 31-year-old point guard is returning as the most experienced member of this squad, with 74 caps.
Amath M'Baye also played at the 2019 World Cup and is one of six players in the squad to ply his trade at club level outside of France. Isaia Cordinier is another, having also played in every game of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers campaign.
Vincent Collet convoque 16 joueurs et 3 partenaires d'entraînement pour les premiers matchs de qualification à la @FIBAWC 2023 👊
— Equipes de France de Basket (@FRABasketball) October 22, 2021
Les Bleus affronteront le Monténégro et la Hongrie ⚔️
Toutes les infos sur notre site internet 📲 https://t.co/DpDFoPJLIt#TeamFranceBasket pic.twitter.com/hcw1sFxZoI
"After an Olympic campaign that will go down in history, we must all come back to earth and get back to work, as part of this new cycle. Before dreaming of Paris 2024, it is imperative that we maintain our level of performance in the various competitions that await us. With the help of my assistants and Boris Diaw we wanted to bring together the best possible team during this first qualifying window for the 2023 World Cup," commented Collet.
| France Squad for the November window | ||||
| Andrew Albicy | Alexandre Chassang | Isaia Cordinier | William Howard | Mouhammadou Jaiteh |
| Axel Julien | Lahaou Konate | Louis Labeyrie | Paul Lacombe | Nicolas Lang |
| Amath M'Baye | David Michineau | Amine Noua | Elie Okobo | Terry Tarpey |
| Leo Westermann | ||||
LDLC ASVEL trio Elie Okobo, William Howard and Paul Lacombe are included, as are Monaco guard Leo Westermann and Virtus Bologna center Mouhammadou Jaiteh with the duo both earning bronze medals at FIBA EuroBasket 2015.
17-year-old prospect Victor Wembanyama will train with the senior team alongside Hugo Benitez and Ismael Kamagate with preparations taking place in Pau.
France host Montenegro in their opening game on November 26, before traveling to face Hungary three days later.
FIBA