Cheriet to join Algeria for AfroBasket 2015

ALGIERS (AfroBasket 2015) - Algeria's new head coach Ali Filali has regarded the team's two-week training camp this month in Slovenia as "productive" and indicated that the next few days will help him shortlist his final squad for AfroBasket 2015 in Tunisia.

Filali has called on his foreign-based players to come along and battle for a place in his team when they resume their preparations on Monday 20 July.

France-born Mehdi Cheriet is one of the men that Filali wants to test when Algeria face Mali in warm-up games on 25 and 27 July in Algiers.

The 2.04m power forward, who played a crucial role for the Algerians at AfroBasket 2013 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, could add scoring and rebounding opportunities for the North African who will face Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire and Zimbabwe in Group D.

Although Cheriet was not in Filali's original preliminary squad, the 28-year-old could become a valuable piece for Algeria, especially if he brings his leadership attitude. 

The Algerians won only one of their five games in Abidjan, but they showed a lot of resilience and competitiveness.

Talking to Algeria Press Service, Fillali - who took over from Faid Bilal - highlighted that this is a crucial moment in the team's preparations.

"We gave a chance to all the players in order to select the best players for the AfroBasket," he said, adding that he will be working with a 15-player group for the remainder of the training camp, which will include a week-long preparation in Turkey in August.

Algeria missed out on direct qualification for this year's continental championship after losing to regional rivals Morocco, but were awarded a wild card to battle for their first-ever Olympic appearance.

The winner of AfroBasket 2015 will secure direct qualification for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, while the teams that finish second and third will book places in the 12-team FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

AfroBasket 2015 will run from 19-30 August.

FIBA