EuroBasket 2022 is in exactly three weeks and unfortunately, the preparation is not going well for the French team since a new member of the Blues had to forfeit. After Victor Wembanyama and Moustapha Fall, it is now Frank Ntilikina who is added to the list of notable absentees. Really not great…
And there were only 13 left. The further we go, the more Vincent Collet’s group shrinks. And something tells us that it’s not really ideal about twenty days before the start of EuroBasket 2022 (September 1 – 18). As we indicate the French Federation orange ball via a press release on his site, Frank Ntilikina will therefore have to give up on the upcoming European competition as well as on the next qualifying matches for the 2023 World Cup. The official cause? “Pains that do not allow him to be physically 100% to participate as he wishes in the preparation. » It is inevitably a blow for the Blues, Franky having been part of the France group which won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Cup and a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. In other words, he had become a member who counts for Vincent Collet, and his defensive impact on the backcourt may be missed by EDF. Still according to the FFBB, Ntilikina will leave the tricolor group tomorrow, after the Blues preparation match this evening (8:30 p.m.) against Italy on the side of Bologna. He is obviously forfeited for the meeting, and his absence should not be filled if we are to believe the federation.
We are therefore on a group of 13 players at the time of these lines, 13 players for 12 places in the end in the roster. Want the full list? It’s just below:
- Isaia Cordinier (back)
- Evan Fournier (back, winger)
- Rudy Gobert (pivot)
- Thomas Heurtel (leader)
- William Howard (ailier)
- Mouhammadou Jaiteh (pivot)
- Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (winger)
- Théo Maledon (laughter)
- Amath M’Baye (strong winger)
- Elie Okobo (back, point guard)
- Vincent Poirier (pivot, strong winger)
- Terry Tarpey (back)
- Guerschon Yabusele (strong winger)
Program level, in addition to the match against Italy tonight, these guys will also play the Italians in Montpellier on August 16 before facing Belgium on the 18th, still in Montpellier. The Blues will then have two qualifying matches for the 2023 World Cup before the start of the Euro, against the Czech Republic first (at the Accor Arena in Paris on August 24) then in Bosnia and Herzegovina (August 27). So many deadlines that Frank Ntilikina will have to watch from his couch…
No Franky, no Victor, no Mouss, and maybe no Andrew Albicy either. As a reminder, the latter left the rally at the end of July for a thigh injury and even if a return is not completely excluded, it also seems to be badly embarked there. Decidedly, the infirmary of the Blues, it is really full this summer…
Source texte : FFBB