By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The French Federation announced the national team’s preliminary roster ahead of the Second Stage of the World Cup Qualifiers that begins in September.
Apart from the returns of Charlotte Hornets forward Nicolas Batum, CSKA Moscow guard Nando De Colo and Barcelona guard Thomas Heurtel for “Les Bleus”, New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina, a two-time gold medalist with his country’s youth teams, is set to debut with the senior national team. 2018 EuroLeague champion with Real Madrid Fabien Causeur will also make his first appearance in the World Cup Qualifiers.
Orlando Magic wing Evan Fournier, who played in the two games of the June-July Window, is absent from the 18-man squad as well as captain Boris Diaw. Actually, this is the first time since 2008 that Diaw is out of a French national team roster.
France faces Bulgaria on the road (September 13) and Finland (September 16) at home. The team has carried a 6-0 record from the first round of the World Cup Qualifiers.
Vincent Collet et Patrick Beesley ont convoqué 18 Bleus pour les matchs de qualification de septembre prochain https://t.co/Tgwqkbx5GC pic.twitter.com/WFgFeeZStX
— Equipe France Basket (@FRABasketball) August 1, 2018
Boris Diaw ne figure pas dans une liste des Bleus pour la première fois depuis l'été 2008
— Arnaud Lecomte (@ArnoLecomte) August 1, 2018