By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
New Orleans Pelicans center Willy Hernangomez was officially ruled out of the prep game between Spain and Lithuania to be played in Vilnius Thursday.
Experienced wingman Rudy Fernandez is out as well, Spain senior national team head coach Sergio Scariolo mentioned following the home loss to Lithuania Tuesday. Scheduled rest for both players, as noted by the Italian tactician.
Hernangomez, 28, logged a game-high 25 points. Pulling down ten rebounds shaped the double-double in the losing effort versus Lithuania. In last week’s home-and-away friendly series against Greece, he tallied 12.5 points per contest. International teammate Fernandez logged 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
The remaining players, Dario Brizuela, Lorenzo Brown, Quino Colom, Jaime Fernandez, Usman Garuba, Fran Guerra, Juan Hernangomez, Sergio Llull, Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, Juan Nunez, Joel Parra, Jaime Pradilla, Sebas Saiz, and Yankuba Sima are available to play at the bottom end of the home-and-away series versus Lithuania.
With the list narrowed to the final roster, the team headed by Scariolo, a former assistant at the Toronto Raptors, will host Iceland and visit the Netherlands to begin Group L of the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers. La Roja carries a 3-1 record from the previous round.
From the official games coming up next week to the 2022 EuroBasket in September. Competing in Group A of the preliminary round, Bulgaria, Georgia, Belgium, Montenegro, and Turkey are the opponents in Tbilisi. The national teams ranking first through fourth will progress to the next round.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL