Greece loaded up with veterans and bright new talents for Qualifiers showdowns with Serbia and Georgia
ATHENS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Greece have decided on the 14-man squad that will take on Serbia and Georgia in September's World Cup European Qualifiers.
ATHENS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Greece have decided on the 14-man squad that will be used for big games against Serbia and Georgia next month at the start of the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers.
Undefeated after three windows and within touching distance of a spot in next year's 32-team tournament in China, the Greeks will have veterans Kostas Sloukas, Kostas Pananikolau and Giorgos Printezis for the first time in the Qualifiers. Nick Calathes, with one game under his belt, is set to feature as well.
Calathes, who made his debut for the senior team FIBA EuroBasket 2009 in Poland and helped it finish third, had 11 points and 8 assists in his lone appearance in the Qualifiers, a home win over Israel.
| Greece 14-player squad for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers | |||
| Thanasis Antetokounmpo | Giannis Bourousis | Nick Calathes | Tyler Dorsey |
| Giannoulis Larentzakis | Vangelis Mantzaris | Vangelis Margaritis | Dinos Mitoglou |
| Georgios Papagiannis | Kostas Papanikolaou | Ioannis Papapetrou | Giorgos Printezis |
| Kostas Sloukas | Panagiotis Vasilopoulos | ||
Two players that figure to be in the national team setup for many years, Georgios Papagiannis and Tyler Dorsey, have also been included. Papagiannis was in last year's FIBA EuroBasket squad while Dorsey has yet to suit up for the senior team.
The presence of Sloukas will be significant for the Greeks. The 28-year-old last year shot 58.6 percent (17 of 29) from behind the arc and averaged a team-high 14.9 points per game at the FIBA EuroBasket, leading the team into the Quarter-Finals.
Sloukas loves to be on the big stage with Greece
Dorsey was one of the star attractions for Greece when they hosted the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup three summers ago and finished fourth. He is coming off his rookie campaign in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks.
All eyes will also be on Konstantinos Mitoglou, a rising star that made his mark in the third window. The 22-year-old poured in 21 points in a 96-78 triumph at Israel and then scored 18 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in a 78-56 victory at Estonia.
Crucially for Greece is the inclusion of several players that were outstanding in the First Round of the European Qualifiers, including veteran center Ioannis Bourousis. The 34-year-old has averaged 15.6ppg and 6.0rpg in five appearances.
At the time of announcing the 14-man squad, the Greek Basketball Federation also named 10 reserves. They are Ioannis Athinaiou, Charis Giannopoulos, Nikos Gikas, Leonidas Kaselakis Dimitris Katsivelis, Antonis Koniaris, Lefteris Bochoridis, Dusan Sakota, Christos Saloustros and Linos Chrysikopoulos
Greece will host Serbia on September 13 before playing in Tbilisi on September 16 against Georgia, who are led by the Greeks' former national team coach, Ilias Zouros.
FIBA