By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Greece is looking to finish up the ongoing round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers adding a win to its tally and head coach Dimitris Itoudis selected 24 players. The list was released by the Hellenic Basketball Federation Tuesday.
NBA impending free agent Giorgos Kalaitzakis fit the call-ups alongside his twin brother Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, who is coming off a solid campaign with Lietkabelis. With Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo expected to join Greece’s senior national team later in the offseason, their younger brother Kostas of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne is immediately available.
Dimitris Agravanis (Promitheas), Lefteris Bochoridis (Panathinaikos OPAP), Nick Calathes (FC Barcelona), Nikos Chougkaz (Panathinaikos OPAP), Tyler Dorsey (Olympiacos), Nikos Gkikas (Promitheas), Costis Gontikas (BCM U FC Arges Pitesti), Dimitris Kaklamanakis (Lavrio Megabolt), Leonidas Kaselakis (Panathinaikos OPAP), Vassilis Kavvadas (Panathinaikos OPAP), Giannis Kouzeloglou (AEK), Giannoulis Larentzakis (Olympiacos), Michalis Lountzis (Olympiacos), Dimitris Moraitis (Peristeri Vitabiotics), Vassilis Mouratos (Lavrio Megabolt), Giorgos Papagiannis (Panathinaikos OPAP), Kostas Papanikolaou (Olympiacos), Ioannis Papapetrou (Panathinaikos OPAP), Alex Samodurov (Panathinaikos OPAP), Kostas Sloukas (Olympiacos), and Giorgos Tsalbouris (Apollon Oscar) were the rest of the players making the 24-man list.
Greece will host Great Britain on 30 June in Larisa in the last of its fixtures in Group B. Carrying the results of the ongoing round, it will be placed in Group I of the next round with the top three spots of the six-team group awarding a ticket to the final stage of the 2023 World Cup.
Likely featuring a different set of players, the team guided by Itoudis will begin the next round in late August, before the 2022 EuroBasket. After traveling to Milan, the schedule brings up Croatia, host Italy, Great Britain, Ukraine, and Estonia between 2 and 8 September. The national teams ranking in the top four will make the trip to Berlin and progress to the Round of 16.