Basketball: an expanded list led by Wembanyama and without Heurtel to prepare for the Paris Olympics

Victor Wembanyama dans un liste élargie de 19 noms pour préparer les JO. MAXPPP – Josselin CLAIR

Le meneur Thomas Heurtel, inéligible en sélection depuis qu’il joue en Russie, est bien absent de la liste élargie de l’équipe de France de basket pour préparer les Jeux olympiques de Paris, annoncée jeudi et dans laquelle figure Victor Wembanyama.

"The federal office decided, some time ago, that Thomas Heurtel was not selectable, which act", the coach commented to the press of the Blues Vincent Collet. Thomas Heurtel has been unselectable since he joined Zenit Saint-Petersburg after Euro-2022, contrary to a federal charter that he himself had signed.

Wembanyama, designated "rookie" of the year for his first season in the NBA, should experience his first competition with the Blues after giving up on the 2023 World Cup. Collet retained an expanded list of 19 players."This is a larger list than expected, we had talked about 16 or 17 initially but the uncertainty of the choices has expanded this list. NBA players cannot start more than 28 days before the start of the competition, having a larger list will allow us to work despite everything", Collet told the press.

Thirteen players for seven away positions

"This extension was carried out mainly in the away sector, since we have thirteen players for 7 positions", he added. Among them, five leaders, including Theo Maledon, Kilian Hayes and Frank Ntilika, "cut" by their NBA franchise during the season. However, Sylvain Francisco, present at the 2023 World Cup, is not there. Collet also called up for the first time wingers Bilal Coulibaly (Washington) and Ousmane Dieng (Oklahoma City), and power forward Jaylen Hoard.

Inside, however, he did not select Olympiacos pivot Moustapha Fall, to whom Vincent Poirier (Real Madrid) was preferred. "We had a rich problem: we couldn't add a fourth position 5 (pivot)" alongside Wembanyama, Poirier, Rudy Gobert and Mathias Lessort, explained Collet about Lessort.

Vincent Collet sur ses extérieurs dans la liste de 19 :
"On a la conviction que la construction de la liste après l'échec de la Coupe du monde va passer par la mise en place d'une défense intraitable." pic.twitter.com/u7OBiiZJ7x

— la chaine L'Équipe (@lachainelequipe) May 16, 2024

The Blues will face Turkey in preparation (July 3 in Rouen), Germany (July 6 in Cologne, 8 in Montpellier), Serbia (July 12 in Lyon), Canada (July 19 in Orléans) and Australia (July 21 in Orléans). The group will be reduced to 12 players for the Games.

The group of 19 pre-selected:

Leaders: Andrew Albicy, Théo Maledon, Frank Ntilikina, Matthew Strazel, Kilian Hayes.

Wing-backs: Nicolas Batum (cap), Isaïa Cordinier, Bilal Coulibaly, Nando De Colo, Ousmane Dieng, Evan Fournier, Nadir Hifi, Elie Okobo.

Interiors: Rudy Gobert, Jaylen Hoard, Mathias Lessort, Vincent Poirier, Victor Wembanyama, Guershon Yabusele.