Cote d'Ivoire call on experienced trio for African Qualifiers
ABIDJAN (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers) - Cote d'Ivoire on Wednesday announced a 17-man preliminary squad for next month's FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers in Maputo, Mozambique.
Among the pre-selected players is a trio of players who last featured for the 'Elephants' five years ago.
Charles Abouo, Edi Guy Landry, and Frejus Zerbo helped Cote d'Ivoire claim a Fourth-Place finish as hosts of the FIBA AfroBasket 2013, but they have missed the following two editions of the African championship.
They will be joined by experienced point guard Souleyman Diabate and a number of rising stars including Aboubakar Seydou Hima, who averaged eight points and four rebounds per game at FIBA AfroBasket 2017.
| Cote d'Ivoire's 17-player preliminary squad for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers | |||
| Charles Abouo | Tiege Bamba | Adjehi Baru | Mike Benhamed |
| Souleyman Diabate | Samuel Diomande | Ahmed Doumbia | Vafessa Fofana |
| Seydou Hima | Desire Kone | Moussa Kone | Edi Guy Landry |
| Bryan Pamba | Amadou Sidibe | Fode Traore | Willy Kouassi |
| Frejus Zerbo | |||
According to the local media, the former African champions will hold a training camp in the coming days before heading to Maputo, where they will play the first-leg of Group D of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers against Mozambique, Senegal and the Central African Republic.
Currently ranked as No. 6 team in Africa in the FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike, Cote d'Ivoire last played at FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2010 in Turkey.
FIBA
