Four-time World Cup participants Varejao, Barbosa and Garcia in Brazil's final roster for China 2019
LYON (France) - After taking 13 players for a three-nation tournament in Lyon, France, Brazil head coach Aleksandar Petrovic announced his final 12-man selection for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
LYON (France) - After taking 13 players for a three-nation tournament in France, Brazil head coach Aleksandar Petrovic announced his final 12-man selection for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
After beating Argentina (89-82) and Montenegro (80-69) and conceding a defeat to hosts France (86-72) early this week, the Croatian playcaller admitted that he had seen enough to make up his mind for China.
| Brazil's final roster for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 | |||
| Leandro Barbosa | Vitor Benite | Bruno Caboclo | Marcos Louzada 'Didi' |
| Yago Mateus Dos Santos | Cristiano Felicio | Alex Garcia | Marcelinho Huertas |
| Augusto Lima | Rafael Freire Luz | Marcus Viera 'Marquinhos' | Anderson Varejao |
Rafael Hettsheimeir was the last cut from the group as the South Americans head to China with a team that blends a number of veterans - such as four-time World Cup participants Alex Garcia, Anderson Varejao and Leandro Barbosa - and promising stars Bruno Caboclo, Yago Dos Santos and Marcos Louzada, recently drafted by the Atlanta Hawks.
"Following our first two games - against Argentina and France - I made my mind up. For tactical reasons and considering all players on our team, I decided to cut [Rafael] Hettsheimeir," Petrovic explained.
Brazil - one of the few teams who hasn't missed a FIBA Basketball World Cup in the last five decades - will begin their China 2019 quest in Group F in Nanjing against New Zealand, Greece and Montenegro.
"WE HAVE TO GO TO CHINA, LOOKING TO MINIMIZE OUR MISTAKES IN ORDER TO WIN GAMES. WE HAVE TO GIVE OUR ALL ON THE COURT AND TRY TO ACHIEVE THE BEST RESULTS POSSIBLE
Chicago Bulls power forward Crisitiano Felicio, who last sported the yellow-and-green jersey at the 2016 Rio Olympics welcomed his selection to the World Cup.
"I have missed playing for the national team," the 2.09m (6ft 10in) big man said. "Over the course of the last three years, I followed the national team games on the TV, which increased my desire of returning to the national team. Thankfully, this year things worked better for me and the team."
Cristiano Felicio is back in the mix for Brazil
Talking about Brazil's chances chances at the World Cup, Felicio admitted that the margin of error will be incredibly small in China.
"Many teams have chances to win. And that is the reason why we have to go to China looking to minimize our mistakes in order to win games. We have to give our all on the court and try to achieve the best results possible."
FIBA