By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina updated the status of the national teams of the country on Monday.
Confirming the issues stemming from the lack of funds, the country’s federation officially slated the senior national team’s participation in the 2022 EuroBasket as questionable.
With the support of the local Ministry of Culture and Sports, KSBiH managed to cope with the financial demands of the junior national teams sending them to the venues of respective summer tournaments. However, more support has been requested and is necessary to cover the senior national team. At the moment, even participating in scheduled friendly games is questionable, as noted.
The national team consisting of Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic alongside Dzanan Musa, John Roberson, and more players based in Europe, has a couple of prep games scheduled for the weekend. Facing Belgium and Estonia in Tartu is scheduled to be the first action of the training camp.
Barring the worst-case scenario, the senior national team will resurface in the final stage of EuroBasket for the first time since 2015, after missing the 2017 edition. Also part of the picture and up in the air is the bid to clinch the first-ever berth in the FIBA World Cup.
Following the friendly games marking preparations, Bosnia-Herzegovina will tip off the final round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers taking on Montenegro and France in late August. In a quick turnaround to EuroBasket, it will compete in Group B of the preliminary round in Cologne, Germany. Games versus Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, France, and Lithuania are the plan for September.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL