The Polish national team has officially revealed a 17-man preliminary roster for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain. Poland will compete against Finland and the Bahamas in the tournament, seeking a chance to join the 12-team men’s basketball tournament at the Olympics in Paris, along with Angola, Lebanon, and Spain.
Although Poland’s roster does not include many NBA players, Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan is among the players named to the squad. Sochan, who previously won a gold medal with Poland at an under-16 championship in 2019, will be part of the final 12-man team for the qualifying tournament. He has also represented Poland at the EuroBasket 2022 qualifiers.
In other basketball news:
– Former NBA guard Mike James, who was recently named this season’s EuroLeague MVP, is reportedly close to signing a contract extension with AS Monaco. The deal, as reported by Gabriel Pantel-Jouve of BeBasket, is expected to be a three-year agreement that will see James earn three million Euros per season.
– Four men have been charged by federal prosecutors in connection with the sports betting scandal linked to Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban from the NBA. The defendants are accused of profiting from prop bets based on inside information about Porter leaving games early. The complaint also suggests that Porter was supposed to receive a share of the winnings.
– ESPN’s Bobby Marks has identified five NBA teams that may have eventful offseasons ahead, despite not receiving as much attention as high-profile franchises like the Lakers and Sixers. The Bulls, Trail Blazers, Jazz, Pelicans, and Spurs are among Marks’ picks for teams to watch.
– The Lakers’ reported interest in UConn head coach Dan Hurley has sparked discussions about college coaches making the transition to the NBA. Alex Andrejev of The Athletic examines the history of successful college coaches in the professional league, assessing the experiences of notable names such as Billy Donovan, Larry Brown, and Rick Pitino.