Italbasket, the 16 blues from Pozzecco: Datome is there, Thompson isn’t

The countdown to the basketball world championship in Manila, Philippines, from August 25, has begun. Coach Gianmarco Pozzecco has released the list of 16 Azzurri who will take part in the Folgaria training camp from 24 July to 2 August. Among them, there is no Darius Thompson. «He will not take part in the activities of the national team this summer. The procedures for obtaining his Italian passport have not yet been completed» said Pozzecco. Simone Fontecchio will be available for training from 28 July. On 17 August the departure for Asia with a stop in China in Shenzhen for the last two friendlies before the debut at the World Cup: on 20 August against Brazil (9 am Italian) and on 21 against New Zealand (11.30 am Italian). On 25 August, the championship debut against Angola (10 am) in the spectacular Philippine Arena in Manila, a 55,000-seat facility.

The summoned

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This is the squad list: Marco Spissu (playmaker, Umana Reyer Venezia); Niccolò Mannion (point guard, Baskonia); Stefano Tonut (guard, EA7 Milan); Nicolò Melli (wing, EA7 Milan); Simone Fontecchio (wing, Utah Jazz) from July 28; Giampaolo Ricci (forward, EA7 Milan); Matteo Spagnolo (playmaker, Real Madrid); Guglielmo Caruso (wing/center, EA7 Milan); Achille Polonara (wing, Virtus Bologna); Mouhamet Diouf (forward/centre, Río Breogán); Riccardo Visconti (guard, Pesaro); Luca Severini (forward/centre, Tortona); Gabriele Procida (guard/wing, Alba Berlin); Tomas Woldetensae (guard/wing, Varese); Alessandro Pajola (point guard, Virtus Bologna); Luigi Datome (wing, EA7 Milan).