By Nikos Varlas/ info@eurohoops.net
CSKA Moscow guard Daniel Hackett will miss the first two games of the Italian national team for the Second Round of the World Cup Qualifiers that begins in September, according to Eurohoops sources.
Hackett asked the Italian Basketball Federation for permission to skip the upcoming games vs. Poland (September 14) and Hungary (September 17) in order to sufficiently recover from a muscle strain he sustained early during Italy’s loss to Croatia during the June-July Qualifiers.
Both the Italian Federation and national team head coach Romeo Sachetti have accepted Hackett’s request and thus the player will stay out for the two aforementioned games.
Italy will compete in Group J, together with Lithuania, Poland, Netherlands, Croatia and Hungary. The “Azzurri” will begin at the second place after carrying a 4 – 2 record from the first stage while Lithuania is at the top with a spotless 6-0. The first three teams from each Group will advance to the World Cup.