Cabo Verde 18-man extended roster for World Cup begins training camp / News - Basketnews.com

Edy Tavares and Ivan Almeida lead the list. One player - Jeff Xavier - withdrew days after the initial 19-man list was announced.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Cabo Verde surprised the basketball world when they qualified for their first-ever FIBA World Cup back in February. With a month left until the 2023 edition of the tournament, 18 players began the preparation.

The country's news agency Inforpress announced the extended 19-man list of the Cabo Verdean national team that began training on July 15th. The list is headlined by Real Madrid superstar Edy Tavares, who has recently received a multi-year offer from the Portland Trail Blazers.

Days after the list was announced, 37-year-old veteran Jeff Xavier announced that he'd not play in the World Cup and chose his family instead.

The national team will play in friendly tournaments in Spain and Italy at the beginning of August. Then, the squad will embark on a journey to the other side of the Atlantic.

The Cabo Verdean Basketball Federation will host a fundraiser in the USA together with the Boston Celtics. The federation's president Mario Correia announced that the team will be in the US from August 13th until August 18th where multiple community events will be held.

During the stay, Cabo Verde will play against Bridgewater State University. The state of Massachusetts features a rich Cabo Verdean community. As such, a mini-camp will also be held for children of Cabo Verdean families alongside the fundraiser.

Correia also announced that the country's budget for the World Cup amounts to 60 million Cabo Verdean escudos (~€540,000).

Full Cabo Verde's 19-man preliminary list:

Will Tavares - BC Yambol, Bulgaria Shane da Rosa - Providence, NCAA Amin Delgado - free agent Hugo Correia e Silva - free agent Fidel Mendonca - Predio, Cabo Verde Ivan Almeida - Benfica, Portugal Joel Almeida - FAP Yaounde, Cameroon Patrick Mendes - Almeria, Spain Anderson Correia - Petro de Luanda, Angola Patrick Spencer - Zentro Basket, Spain Walter Tavares - Real Madrid, Spain Kevin Gomes - Porto, Portugal Keneth Mendes - free agent Joao 'Betinho' Gomes - Benfica, Portugal Kevin Coronel - Le Mans, France Amarilson Lopes - CB Socuellamos, Spain Victor Andrade - Pato Basquete, Brazil Ailton Marques - CB Clavijo, Spain Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.