MADRID, 30 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Shooting guard Álex Abrines and forward Joel Parra are the discards of the Spanish men’s basketball coach, Sergio Scariolo, for the Valencia Pre-Olympic, where the national team will seek a ticket for the Paris 2024 Games.
After completing the first weeks of training and facing two friendly preparation matches, the Italian coach announced this Sunday the final list of 12 players, which does not include either the Spaniard or the Catalan, both Barça players.
The final squad is made up of Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Llull, Willy Hernangómez, Juancho Hernangómez, Darío Brizuela, Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, Alberto Diaz, Usman Garuba, Jaime Pradilla, Juan Nunez, Lorenzo Brown and Santi Aldama.
Scariolo explained the reasons for his list. “We are going with the group of players who in these weeks have given us the best sensations of being able to contribute something different and important to the team. Álex Abrines’ evolution is positive but not with the miraculous speed that would have allowed us to recover him for the Pre-Olympic, because he is a player of fundamental importance in our present,” he stressed.
“Joel Parra is not going to be among the 12, not because of his demerit, but because we have considered that other players could be more functional at this moment. Joel has been part of the team for many years, even before being a protagonist in the ACB, and he is still a part of our family. And of course he will be with us again, especially if his performances at the club send us good vibes. And if not, if he is able to make his presence independent in the national team training sessions. regarding the fact that the season with his club has not gone as he would have liked,” he continued.
Spain will make its debut in the Pre-Olympic tournament on Tuesday against Angola (8:30 p.m.). The following day, at the same time, it will close the group stage against Lebanon. If it qualifies, the semi-final will be on Saturday 6th and the final on Sunday 7th.