Thompson won’t be there, Datome ends his career – Corriere.it

Federbasket explained it in announcing the list of 16 called up for the collegiate of Folgaria that on 24th July the preparation for the world championship will begin. The words are those of coach Gianmarco Pozzecco: Darius Thompson will not take part in the activities of the national team this summer. The procedures for obtaining your Italian passport are not yet completed. At the end of the month, then, Thompson will become a father and therefore he would not have been able to be available for the first part of the meeting anyway. Given the importance of the commitment that awaits us, it is essential for me, for my staff and for the boys to work from day one with the certainty of having everyone fully available for the World Cup.

Amen: we’ll talk about it later, or give qualifying for Euro 2025 and, hopefully, on the occasion of the Olympic Games 2024 (to hit which it will serve for a feat equal, if not even superior, to the one that led the Azzurri to Tokyo in 2021). Not having Thompson is certainly not good news, but perhaps not all the bad comes to silver. We are in fact convinced that the growth of the national team must proceed through the enhancement of a group. And this nucleus now seems well defined around the boys who were one step away from reaching the semi-finals at the European Championship last year after overcoming difficult moments.

The summoned

So here are the 16 who will participate in the Folgaria training camp from 24 July to 2 August: Marco Spissu (1995, 185, point guard, Umana Reyer Venice); Nicholas Mannion (2001, 190, point guard, Baskonia – Spain); Stephen Tonut (1993, 194, guard, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan); Nicol Melli (1991, 205, ala, EA7 Emporio Armani Milano); Simon Fontecchio (1995, 203, wing, Utah Jazz – Nba); Giampaolo Hedgehogs (1991, 202, ala, EA7 Emporio Armani Milano); Matteo Spanish (2003, 194, point guard, Real Madrid – Spain); William Caruso (1999, 208, wing/center, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan); Achilles Polonara (1991, 205, wing, Virtus Segafredo Bologna); Mouhamet Diouf (2001, 206, forward/centre, Ro Breogn – Spain); Richard Visconti (1998, 198, guard, Carpegna Prosciutto Pesaro); Luca Severini (1996, 204, wing/centre, Bertram Yacht Tortona); Gabriel Procida (2002, 200, guard/wing, Alba Berlin – Germany); Thomas Woldetensae (1998, 196, guard/wing, Openjobmetis Varese); Alexander Pajola (1999, 194, point guard, Virtus Segafredo Bologna); Louis Give me (1987, 203, ala, EA7 Emporio Armani Milano). Fontecchio he will join on July 28, while this blue adventure will close the career of Gigi Datome, who will play his last match on Italian territory on August 13 in Ravenna.

The Fiba World Cup will take place from August 25 to September 10 between the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. Italy will be in one of the groups in Manila, inserted with Angola, the Dominican Republic and the hosts. Pozzecco will have to choose 12 players. The first two tests will be at the Trentino Basket Cup on 4 and 5 August: first match against Turkey, the day after the final for first or third place. Italy will then take part in the Acropolis Tournament in Athens (9 and 10 August) while the 17th will be in Asia: in Shenzen the last two tests (20 and 21 August) against Brazil and New Zealand before the championship debut, on 25 August against ‘Angola.