FRA – France trim squad with Noah named but not counted on
PARIS (EuroBasket 2009) – France coach Vincent Collet has reduced his 29-man preliminary squad for the Additional Qualifying Round of the EuroBasket to 18 players and Chicago Bulls youngster Joakim Noah is included, even though he will not be in the final group. The Bulls have told France they do not want Noah, who had a solid end to his second NBA ...
PARIS (EuroBasket 2009) – France coach Vincent Collet has reduced his 29-man preliminary squad for the Additional Qualifying Round of the EuroBasket to 18 players and Chicago Bulls youngster Joakim Noah is included, even though he will not be in the final group.
The Bulls have told France they do not want Noah, who had a solid end to his second NBA campaign, to play in the additional qualifiers against Italy and Finland or at the EuroBasket, but have agreed to let their star work out with the national side.
The New York-born Noah, whose father is former French Open winner Yannick Noah and his mother, Cécilia Rodhe, was Miss Sweden in 1978, will join the national team for the beginning of their training in Vichy on July 2.
“The Chicago Bulls executives are serious people,” said Patrick Beesley, the director of the France team, in L’Equipe.
“We have been able to bend certain things but now there is a deal and we have to remain within those parameters.”
Mickael Pietrus is also included although it is understood he may need a minor operation and won’t play at all.
Collet said in a statement issued by the French Basketball Federation: "The sporting aims are very clear. Our first will be to qualify for the EuroBasket.
“We know very well that if we are able to qualify for that we will have possibilities to do good things. But in order to arrive we need to win the first stage.
“We need to take it one step at a time starting with our games against Italy on August 5.
“I have spoken to the players they are all determined and aware of what is needed."
France will host a friendly tournament in Strasbourg at the end of July and the final squad will then be named.
18-man squad: Alexis Ajinca, Nicolas Batum, Yannick Bokolo, Nando De Colo, Aldo Curti, Mamoutou Diarra, Boris Diaw, Laurent Foirest, Joseph Gomis, Alain Koffi, Adrien Moerman, Joakim Noah, Tony Parker, Johan Petro, Florent Pietrus, Mickael Pietrus, Ali Traore, Ronny Turiaf.
On standby: Rodrigue Beaubois, Yakhouba Diawara, Antoine Diot, Mickaël Gelabale, Dounia Issa, Claude Marquis, Ludovic Vaty.
FIBA