The staff of the French women’s basketball team has selected a group of 22 players to prepare for the World Cup, which will be held in September in Australia.
On August 9, the best French basketball players will meet at INSEP for the start of preparation for the World Cup, which will be held in Australia from September 22 to October 1. Les Bleues have only played three games this year, on behalf of the qualifications for this World Cup (one victory, two defeats, but that was enough for them to win their ticket), and they will start serious things in a short month. The staff of the France team has called an expanded list of 22 players for this preparation, but the three currently playing in the WNBA will arrive later. They are Marine Johannes (New York Liberty), Iliana Rupert (Las Vegas Aces) and Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm). In addition to Johannes (102 selections), three other players have more than 100 selections: Sandrine Gruda (215), Helena Ciak (119) and Sarah Michel (104). In contrast, the strong winger of Villeneuve d’Ascq Janelle Salaun (21 in September) and that of Roche Vendée Assitan Koné (27) do not count the slightest selection. It remains to be seen whether they will pass the cut of the final selection, where there will be only twelve players selected to compete in the World Cup.
Many preparation matches
At the World Cup, France will be opposed in the group stage to Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Japan and Serbia. To prepare as well as possible, the Olympic bronze medalists will face China, Bosnia and Herzegovina (twice), Belgium (three times) during the summer, then they will fly to Australia and be opposed there. to Australia, Japan and the United States. At the World Cup, the daughters of Jean-Aimé Toupane will aim for the last four, which France has not reached since its bronze medal won in…1953.
The group of 22: Marième Badiane (ASVEL), Ornella Bankole (Roche Vendée), Lisa Berkani (Charleville-Mézières), Alexia Chartereau (ASVEL), Kendra Chery (Basket Landes), Sara Chevaugeon (ASVEL), Helena Ciak (ASVEL), Olivia Epoupa (Lattes -Montpellier), Marine Fauthoux (Basket Landes), Aby Gaye (Schio), Sandrine Gruda (Schio), Caroline Heriaud (Villeneuve d’Ascq), Marine Johannes (ASVEL), Assitan Koné (Roche Vendée), Sarah Michel (Bourges) , Marie-Eve Paget (Basket Landes), Tima Pouye (Charleville-Mézières), Iliana Rupert (Bourges), Janelle Salaun (Villeneuve d’Ascq), Ana Tadic (Tarbes), Mamignan Touré (Lattes-Montpellier), Gabby Williams ( Sopron).
