Moustapha Fall is ready to join France NT ahead of EuroBasket. Conversely, EuroCup MVP Mouhammadou Jaiteh will not travel to Cologne.
After having had to skip the start of preparation, following a thigh injury sustained during a training session, Moustapha Fall will join France NT in Cologne, Germany.
France
Germany
Lithuania
HungaryThe 30-year-old center, who had been rehabilitating in France (Clairefontaine) over the past several weeks, received today, the clearance from the doctor of his club (Olympiacos Piraeus), Theofanis Tsavissis, as well as from France's medical staff.
The French center, who had expressed his great frustration and his wish to do everything to return, has won the bet. He will gradually reintegrate to the rest of the team in order to ensure his complete recovery.
Hence, Moustapha Fall will join the France group on Monday evening in Cologne where France's group will be hosted. Following Fall's comeback, the French team announced that 2022 EuroCup champion and MVP, Mouhammadou Jaiteh, is being released.
The coach of the French team, Vincent Collet, wanted to "thank and congratulate Mam Jaiteh for his exemplary behavior throughout the period of preparation with the French team, since the end of July."
Collet also said he "had recently warned Mam of Mous' potential return. His seriousness and self-sacrifice were a real contribution and an example for all of us."
According to the French basketball federation, the final 12-man squad for the EuroBasket must be finalized the day before the competition starts, on Wednesday August 31.
Before preparing for EuroBasket, France played four friendly games against the Netherlands (89-65), Italy twice (78-77 and 100-68), and Belgium (90-71), winning them all.
After that, Les Bleus beat the Czech Republic (95-60) in FIBA World Cup 2023 Qualifiers but lost against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a double-overtime thriller (90-96).
France 12-man roster for EuroBasket:
| 0 | Elie Okobo | PG | 188 cm |
| 2 | Amath M'Baye | PF | 206 cm |
| 3 | Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot | SG | 198 cm |
| 4 | Thomas Heurtel | PG, SG | 188 cm |
| 7 | Guerschon Yabusele | PF | 203 cm |
| 10 | Evan Fournier | SG, SF | 201 cm |
| 11 | Theo Maledon | PG, SG | 192 cm |
| 14 | Moustapha Fall | C | 218 cm |
| 17 | Vincent Poirier | C | 213 cm |
| 21 | Andrew Albicy | PG | 178 cm |
| 22 | Terry Tarpey | SF | 195 cm |
| 27 | Rudy Gobert | C | 216 cm |
