Fisac whittles down Senegal squad to 14
DAKAR (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Senegal coach Porfirio Fisac has trimmed his preliminary squad for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Manila to 14 players with sharpshooter Antoine Mendy the headline name.
| Senegal 14-player squad for 2016 FIBA OQT in Manila |
|||
| Adama Louis Adams | Moussa Camara | Serigne Bamba Gueye | Clevin Hannah |
| Cheikh Tidiane Mbodj | Antoine Mendy | El Hadji Malick Ndiaye | Hamady Ndiaye |
| Thierno Ibrahima Niang | Maurice Daly Ndour | Abdoulaye Ndoye | El Hadji Maleye Ndoye |
| Youssoupha Ndoye | Ibrahima Thomas | ||
Mendy averaged more than 16 points per game and drilled 19 shots from the arc last summer for Senegal, who finished fourth at the AfroBasket. His experience and leadership will be vital for a team that has to take on Turkey and Canada in Group A of the OQT.
Senegal earned a spot in the OQT when they clinched a place in the Semi-Finals of the AfroBasket. Despite Mendy's 19 points, they fell to eventual champions Nigeria, 88-79, after overtime.
Another important player in last year's team who figures to log significant minutes will be big man Ibrahima Thomas, the fifth leading scorer at the AfroBasket at 6.7ppg. The 2.11m power forward will stretch defenses with his 3-point shooting. He connected on 9 of his 18 attempts (50 percent) in Tunisia.
Senegal will need to finish in the top two of Group A to reach a Semi-Final and take on a team from Group B, either France, New Zealand or the Philippines. Only the winner of the OQT will qualify for the Rio Olympics.
FIBA
