June 17, 2016
Countdown to Manila OQT: 18 days
Senegal and New Zealand have both trimmed their respective pools for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, Philippines next month down to 14 men.
As reported on the FIBA OQT Manila official website, included in Senegal’s 14-man cast are Adama Louis Adams, Moussa Camara, Serigne Bamba Gueye, Clevin Hannah, Cheikh Tidiane Mbodj, Antoine Mendy, El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, Hamady Ndiaye, Thierno, Ibrahima Niang, Maurice Daly Ndour, Abdoulaye Ndoye, El Hadji Maleye Ndoye, Youssoupha Ndoye, and Ibrahima Thomas.
Mendy was Senegal’s leading scorer during the 2015 FIBA AfroBasket. Hamady Ndiaye was Mahindra’s import back in the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup.
Noticeably absent from the cast are Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng, Mouhammad Faye, and Xane Dalmeida. All three participated in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Webster brothers banner New Zealand 14
Tai Webster of the Tall Blacks (FIBA Images)
New Zealand, meanwhile, is also down to its final 14 men.
The Tall Blacks’ final 12 shall be selected from a pool that includes Tom Abercrombie, BJ Anthony, Finn Delany, Isaac Fotu, Michael Karena, Rob Loe, Jordan Ngatai, Derone Raukawa, Ethan Rusbatch, Mika Vukona, Everard Bartlett, Corey Webster, Tai Webster, and Shea Ili.
Of the 14 players in the current pool, eight played in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Corey Webster was a key figure in New Zealand’s campaign in Spain two years ago, leading the team in scoring with 13.7 PPG.
Noticeable absences include Oklahoma City Thunder big man Steven Adams, Kirk Penney, and Jarrod Kenny.
New Zealand head coach Paul Henare said on Basketball New Zealand llast week that his squad is progressing but they still need to work on many aspects of their game.
“I thought there were some good things and some not so good things for this stage of the campaign, things we must learn from quickly. We broke the team into two different groups and shared the minutes around, I wanted to see the balance with the veteran guys and see what their chemistry was and likewise the newer guys who had to work things out on the fly. That was something though that I thought they needed to go through and they will be better for it,” Henare said.
New Zealand is currently participating in the Atlas Tournament in China which includes the host squad, Japan, and Belarus. New Zealand shall also have a training camp in Latvia and Lithuania later this month.
Senegal is in Group A of the Manila OQT while New Zealand is in Group B. The Tall Blacks shall face Gilas Pilipinas on July 6.
