FRA – France coach Collet makes pivot-al decisions in 18-man squad

PARIS (2010 FIBA World Championship) - France have named Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, Cholet's rising star Kevin Seraphin and San Antonio youngster Ian Mahinmi in their 18-man preliminary squad for the FIBA World Championship while Denver Nuggets pivot Johan Petro has been placed on the replacement list.

Noah wants to play for the French in Turkey and could be the difference between the team playing for a medal and going home early, but he must first settle his contract situation in the NBA before confirming his presence.

Former Cholet teammates Rodrigue Beaubois (Dallas Mavericks) and Nando De Colo (Power Electronics Valencia) are included.

Mickael Gelabale, the MVP of Cholet's LNB play-off title triumph over Le Mans, and his teammate, guard Fabien Causeur, are also named.

Antoine Diot missed the LNB play-off semi-finals and title game for Le Mans with a herniated disc but he is included in the 18-man list.

Nicolas Batum of Portland, Boris Diaw of Charlotte, Florent Pietrus of Valencia and Ali Traore of ASVEL, who was voted the top French player in the LNB this season, are among the other headline names in the 18-man squad.

France will take on Spain - the team that beat them in last year's EuroBasket Quarter-Finals in Poland - Lithuania, Canada, Lebanon and New Zealand in Group D of the FIBA World Championship.

Those Preliminary Round games will be played in Izmir.

France coach Vincent Collet and the 18 players will begin their preparations in Pau on July 25 and finish there with a friendly against Tunisia, a team in Group B at the FIBA World Championship.

Les Bleus will then have two friendlies in Toronto against Canada (August 12-13) before traveling to New York to face Team USA at Madison Square Garden on August 15.

The French will finish their preparations August 22, 23 and 24 in Villeurbanne against Ivory Coast, Australia and Brazil.

Their first game at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey is on August 28 against defending champions Spain.

France 18-man squad: Alexis Ajinca, Nicolas Batum, Rodrigue Beaubois, Yannick Bokolo, Fabien Causeur, Nando De Colo, Boris Diaw, Antoine Diot, Mickaël Gelabale, Edwin Jackson, Alain Koffi, Charles Lombahe-Kahuda, Ian Mahinmi, Joakim Noah, Florent Pietrus, Kevin Seraphin, Ali Traore and Ludovic Vaty.

Replacements: Aldo Curti, Dounia Issa, Aymeric Jeanneau, Abdoulaye M'Baye, Adrien Moerman and Johan Petro.

FIBA