The Argentine basketball team, almost with its current maximum potential, will take on a demanding test this Thursday in the World Cup Qualifiers on the way to the Philippines-Japan-Indonesia 2023, when they face Canada, at the beginning of Group E of the American classification . The match will take place at the Memorial Center Arena in the city of Victoria starting at 11:40 p.m. (Argentina time) and will be televised by the TyC Sports signal.
The team led by Néstor ‘Che’ García developed an acceptable campaign in the initial stage of the competition, with a 5-1 record for the first three qualifying windows, with a single loss against Venezuela when neither the NBA players nor of Euroleague. But at the start of this fourth series, the albiceleste team will have to take extreme care against the only rival that is undefeated, with a 6-0 mark.
Argentina will have the best of its repertoire, with the exception of Luca Vildoza, who will be absent because he is developing preparation work with his team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Point guards Facundo Campazzo (for the moment without a team after passing through the Denver Nuggets, USA) and Nicolás Laprovíttola (Barcelona, Spain), experienced shooting guard Carlos Delfino (Libertas Pesaro), forwards Gabriel Deck (Real Madrid) and Patricio Garino ( Basket Girona) and intern Marcos Delía (BC Wolves, Lithuania) will be the supports on which Néstor García’s team from Bahia will rely to get a good result. The list is completed by point guard José Vildoza (Flamengo); shooting guards Nicolás Brussino (Gran Canaria) and Leandro Bolmaro (Utah Jazz); forward Juan Pablo Vaulet (Baxi Manresa) and interns Tomás Chapero (Ourense) and Tayavek Gallizzi (Instituto de Córdoba).
“It will be a very tough game because they have a hierarchical team, with many NBA players in their ranks. But our preparation was very good and we are confident,” Garino from Mar del Plata said. The arrival of García on the bench of substitutes, instead of Sergio Hernández, also from Bahia, commander of the previous process, allowed to change “a little the philosophy, but not the style of play, because in reality that is what we are trying to propose,” Mar del Plata highlighted.
In front will be Canada, with a list that includes six NBA representatives. They are Nickeil Alexander Walker (guard, Utah Jazz); Oshae Brissett (forward, Indiana Pacers); Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (guard, Oklahoma Thunder), Cory Joseph (guard, Detroit Pistons); Kelly Olynik (power forward, Detroit Pistons) and Dwight Powell (center, Dallas Mavericks). Also on the list is the point guard Kevin Pangos, with extensive experience in European basketball (ex-Barcelona) and who is currently a benchmark at Olimpia Milano in Italy.
After the match against Canada, the Argentine team will return to Buenos Aires, through air combinations that will allow him to arrive at the Ezeiza International Airport this Saturday, in the evening. From there, the delegation will return to Mar del Plata (where it carried out a good part of the competitive preparation) and at the Islas Malvinas Sports Center in the seaside resort, it will receive the Bahamas team on Monday, starting at 9:40 p.m., in the second and last shift of this qualifying window.
The other group E matches scheduled for tomorrow are: Bahamas-Venezuela (at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium in Nassau, at 9:00 p.m. in Argentina) and Dominican Republic-Panama (at the Palacio de Deportes in Santo Domingo, 9:10 p.m.).
In zone F, meanwhile, Puerto Rico-Brazil will be measured (in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan; 21.10); United States-Uruguay (at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas; 10:00 p.m.) and Mexico-Colombia (at the Chihuahua University Auditorium Gymnasium; at 12:30 a.m. on Friday).
