FRA - Ajinca: we want to reach FIBA World Cup as European champs

LJUBLJANA (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - France are determined to be at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup - as nothing less than the team that won EuroBasket 2013.

That is the view of Saint Etienne-born Alexis Ajinca, who saw his side qualify to the second round of EuroBasket with a 4-1 record as they move a few minutes down the road from the Tivoli Arena to the Stozice Arena where the final two rounds of the tournament in Slovenia's capital of Ljubljana will take place.

"Well, we're happy to go to the second round and now we just got to keep up the wins and play hard like we have been doing so far,” Ajinca said following France's 82-65 win over Belgium on the final day of first round action at EuroBasket.

"We have to stay focused on ourselves and just play our game."

And staying focused is something the French have been doing. They will start Group E with a 2-0 record, leaving them in good shape for a possible Quarter-Final place.

Aljinca though admits that the goal of reaching the FIBA Basketball World Cup next summer has been firmly in their sights since the opening day of this tournament.

"We want to go there (to the FIBA Basketball World Cup)," he admits.

"We want to go there and we want to go there as winners (of EuroBasket) too. It's where we see ourselves - competing with the best teams in the world so it's definitely our goal.

"We want to reach the World Cup, but we want to go to Spain as winners of EuroBasket."

France minus Aljnca were runners-up at EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania as they were ousted by a star-studded Spanish team in Kaunas.

Two years on and the former Charlotte Bobcats and Dallas Mavericks center wants another crack at Spain, who themselves topped Group C in Celje and will be in the second round also.

"We hope to face Spain - hopefully in the Final," Aljinca admits. "We lost two years ago at EuroBasket and Spain is probably the biggest challenge for any European nation so it would be good.

"But look, the goal is not 'we want Spain', it's simply do what we have to do in this EuroBasket. We have to take care of ourselves, play our game and aim to be in the World Cup next year."

France will tip off their EuroBasket second round campaign in Group E against Lithuania on Wednesday night in Ljubljana.

FIBA