Datome is set to retire from basketball after the tournament.
The Italian Basketball Federation has named its final 12 players for the upcoming FIBA World Cup spectacle, taking place on August 25 here in Manila.
Leading the list is long-time national team member and captain Luigi “Gigi” Datome, a former EuroLeague champion who also played for the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics in the NBA.
Another hooper with NBA credentials, Utah Jazz’s Simone Fontecchio, is looking to make more impact in national team duty. He averaged over 19 points for the Azzurri when they made the quarterfinals in the Tokyo Olympics.
The Italian squad, which will play Gilas Pilipinas, Angola, and Dominican Republic in Group A, is not going to be short on players with solid international experience. Team Italy veterans Nicolo Melli, Achille Polonara, Alessandro Pajola, Stefano Tonut, and even Marco Spissu are all part of the final 12.
Giampaolo Ricci and Gabriele Procida will fortify the wings, while Matteo Spagnolo is another guard seeking to provide steady presence. Big men Mouhamet Diouf and Luca Severini round out the squad.
Italian fans will surely hope that Fontecchio, Melli, and the rest of the team will step up big-time in the upcoming FIBA flagship event. Aside from the fact that this will be Datome’s farewell tourney, the world no. 10 Italy is also looking at pouncing on the chance to barge into the tier of FIBA’s elite.