ABIDJAN (Côte d’Ivoire) – Philadelphia 76ers center Mo Bamba highlights a 32-man preliminary roster for Côte d’Ivoire as they prepare for the upcoming FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Spanish-born head coach Natxo Lezcano called up 8 guards, 11 wings and 13 big men for the event taking place July 2-7.
The list for the top African team in the FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike (checking in at No. 31) features experienced interior players Alex Poythress, Deon Thompson, Cedric Bah and Matt Costello, as well as small forwards Vafessa Fofana and Jean Philippe Dally and guards Solo Diabate and Maxence Dadiet, among others.
Coach Lezcano also pre-selected a handful of players for the first time, including Kevin Yebo, Ulrich Mohamed Kra, Zoom Diallo, Basile Traore, Quincy Guerrier, and Mouhamed Dioubate.
After winning the silver medal at the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 and finishing in 27th place at the World Cup 2023, the Elephants are looking to make history by qualifying to the Olympic Games for the first time.
They’ll share Group A with Mexico and Lithuania.
FIBA