VIENNA (FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers) – Austria head coach Kestutis Kemzura has announced a predominantly young 14-strong preliminary squad that will gather in the town of St. Polten this week to commence preparations for the upcoming FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers campaign.

The well-respected Lithuanian tactician who assumed the role last winter and has been tasked with steering Austria back to the EuroBasket Final Round for the first time in three decades, has invited to training camp only one player above the age of 29, crafty 32-year-old power forward Davor Lamesic.

The list is headlined by 26-year-old star center Rasid Mahalbasic, who had led Austria in both scoring and rebounds during their qualification campaigns for both the 2013 and 2015 EuroBasket tournaments, while 1987-born Morabanc Andorra point guard Thomas Schreiner is the second-oldest player on the squad.

“Qualifying for EuroBasket the same year that we got the first ever Austrian player in the NBA would certainly be the biggest sensation in Austrian Basketball”  - Anton Maresch

Young big man Jakob Poltl, who was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the ninth overall pick in June's NBA draft, is not included in the squad as he is currently preparing for his rookie NBA season. Poltl's success story has none the less inspired his team-mates on the national team and fuels their ambition to end the 30-year wait for the EuroBasket tournament.

"Qualifying for EuroBasket the same year that we got the first-ever Austrian player in the NBA would certainly be the biggest sensation in Austrian Basketball," said Anton Maresch. 'To me personally, it would be the biggest success in my national team career together with our U20 triumph."

Maresch as well as Mahalbasic, Thomas Klepeisz and Moritz Lanegger were members of the Austrian side that won the FIBA U20 European Championship Division B title in 2010 and set as their next big collective target to represent their nation at a EuroBasket tournament one day.

"I will arrive at the qualification campaign with great expectations," the Austrian guard continued. "I hope that we will qualify for EuroBasket for the first time. There are options to make it happen. It is not an easy group, that's for sure." Austria were drawn in Group B in the FIBA EuroBasket Qualifiers, together with Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.

"I would guess that the Netherlands are our direct rivals, the team with which we will fight for qualification," Maresch said. "We will definitely give everything we have to achieve the qualification. I hope that our fans will give us the best possible support."

Austrian fans, who already displayed in the previous qualification campaign an increasing commitment towards and interest in the national team, were also in the mind of another key backcourt player.

"I promise to the fans that we we will try to create a sensation by qualifying for EuroBasket," Schreiner said. "We are in a tough group, with attractive opponents. Our chances will depend on whether we manage to play our best basketball during the qualifying campaign."

FIBA