FRA - Turiaf keeps fingers crossed on French selection dilemma

BERLIN (FIBA World Championship) - There simply are not enough places to go around for France with the FIBA World Championship set to tip off in two weeks.

Claude Bergeaud, all indications suggest, will have to choose between Johan Petro and Ronny Turiaf when it comes time to name his final squad.

Petro, a 20-year-old center who just completed his rookie season in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics, stands 2.10m in height and possible offers more of a shot-blocking presence under the hoop.

Turiaf, a member of France's EuroBasket 2003 squad while still a college player in America at Gonzaga, was a reserve with the Los Angeles Lakers last season and is battling back from a heart condition that threatened to end the 23-year-old's career.

A wider body who stands 2.06m in height, Turiaf probably offers more bulk in the lane where the wars of the FIBA World Championship are about to be waged.

Turiaf, who averaged two points in 23 games with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, is fighting his way back following open heart surgery last year at about this time.

"I am getting close to 100% again," he said. "I am just getting back from heart surgery and I did not get a lot of playing time this year.

"Hopefully I will still be on the team in a couple if weeks."

He knows Bergeaud doesn't have an easy decision.

"We have a lot of guys who have accomplished something and played well with the team so they deserve to go to the World Championship," he said. 

France take on Turkey on Saturday - day two of the Supercup tournament in Berlin.

By PA Sport
Exclusively for FIBA