TIRANA (FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers) – Albania freely admit their underdog status in Group F of the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers, which also includes Georgia, Montenegro and the Slovak Republic, yet point out that the competition which gets under way on 31 August is a watershed moment for basketball in the Balkan country.

Following a four-year period in which the senior men's program was put on hold, new Albania head coach Antonis Constantinides has selected a 19-strong preliminary squad of which the 12-man roster that will represent the nation in its first official games since 2012 will emerge.

Taking part in the Qualifiers will be the cherry on top for the quiet revolution that has recently started in Albanian basketball. “This summer, Albania is fielding for the first time national teams in European competitions across all age groups, both men and women,” Constantinides explained to fiba.com. “As for the senior men's national team, our main objective right now is to put together a group of young players and build what will be the main core during the next years.

"There is a future vision for the national team and it is being built on a strong basis." - Constantinides 

"Training camp started on 31 July and it has nothing in common with what used to be done before as the new FSHB (Albanian federation) management under president Avni Ponari has ushered in an entirely professional approach. The FSHB is sparing no effort in building the conditions that will provide these youngsters with every opportunity to work and improve.

"We want to prove to the players that take part in training camp that there is a future vision for the national team and that it is being built on a strong basis. At the same time we want to show to players who play abroad and did not join the national team in this new process that things have changed, that there is a whole new organisation in place and make them want to come and play in the next campaign," the Cypriot tactician added.

"This summer's results are not the priority, but players need to know what exactly we are up against." - Constantinides

Forward Gerti Shima, who was Albania's top scorer in their last international competition in summer 2012, the Qualification Round for FIBA EuroBasket 2013, headlines this summer's preliminary squad. The other five returnees from the 2012 campaign are Marsel Aliaj, Herion Fasllija, Algert Gjonaj, Red Vogli and 31-year-old guard Genti Lasku who is the only player above 30 on the 19-man list.

"I am amazed at how unbelievably hard the players work in every practice." - Constantinides

"The vast majority of our players has no experience of the highest European level and if we want to be able to compete there in a few years, we now have to get a first taste," Constantinides said. "This summer's results are not the priority, we know that it would be very difficult for us to fight for a top-two finish in this group, but players need to know what exactly we are up against if we want to become a part of this stage in the future.

“I am amazed at how unbelievably hard the players work in every practice, I always try to push players to the limits in training but it is the first time in my career that they come to me asking me to be merciless. I cannot give enough credit to the players and to my staff, Afrim Bilali, Endri Rumani and Albert Silejmani for the work they put in every day.

"In the Qualifiers, we will show a team that knows where it stands on the court both on defence and offence, will have well-defined principles and especially at home we will make it hard for any visiting side. We lack size so we're working on small-ball line-ups with a lot of mobility and pay a lot of attention on defence where we have to be hard-working, tough and disciplined."

Albania will take part in a warm-up tournament from 18 to 21 August in Cyprus, with the participation also of Qatar, Estonia and the hosts. The Albanian squad will then travel to Tallinn where form 24 to 26 August they will participate in another friendly tournament which also features Estonia, Israel and Ukraine.

The Albanian team face Georgia on the road on 31 August in their Group F opener, which will also be their first official game since September 2012.

FIBA