Star-studded France!

France reminded the world of their deep pool of basketball talent over the weekend when national team coach Vincent Collet named a star-laden preliminary squad ahead of the Additional Qualifying Round for EuroBasket 2009.

Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Boris Diaw (Charlotte Bobcats) and newcomer Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls) are among 29 players who have ties to the NBA or play for strong clubs in Europe.

Noah, the son of former French Open tennis champion Yannick Noah and a two-time NCAA title winner with the Florida Gators, reached the play-offs this year in his second NBA campaign and was instrumental for the Bulls as they pushed the Boston Celtics to seven games.

Noah,24, was born in New York but has a French passport.

Numerous other NBA players are in the preliminary group.

Portland rookie Nicolas Batum, who played for Collet at Le Mans in 2007-08, Charlotte Bobcats reserve Alexis Ajinca, Miami Heat guard Yakhouba Diawara, San Antonio reserve Ian Mahinmi and Golden State center Ronny Turiaf are all in.

Collet, now the coach of French outfit ASVEL, rewarded French-based players for their outstanding campaigns and that includes Nando De Colo, Claude Marquis, Rodrigue Beaubois and Thomas Larrouquis of EuroChallenge runners-up Cholet.

Unicaja Malaga’s explosive scoring guard Joseph Gomis is in the mix.

France have the short-term goal of reaching the EuroBasket in Poland while the long-term aim is to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London.

"The desire is to have a group headed towards 2012,” Collet said.

“Many young players (from this list) will not be selected (to the national team) this year but we think they can integrate in the team of France in time.”

Collet says the mood in the French camp is upbeat.

“I felt the desire and enthusiasm from the players,” he said.

France will have a training camp in Vichy from July 12-19 before travelling to Strasbourg and staying there from July 22-26.

In Strasbourg, France will go up against Austria (July 24), Belgium (July 25) and the Czech Republic (July 26).

Collet’s team will then be in Paris from July 27 to August 2. France’s last warm-up game is against Hungary on July 30 at Coubertin in Paris.

“The next step is the selection of 15 players for the period of Vichy (from 12 to 19 July), which will be announced before the end of the Championship of France during the first half of June,” Collet said.

France will take on Italy and Finland in Group B of the Additional Qualifying Round in August.

Should they finish top of that pool, Les Bleus will go up against the winner of Group A – Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Belgium – in a home-and-away tie to determine the last team that will play in EuroBasket Final Round in Poland.

France’s first game in the Additional Qualifying Round will be on August 5 in Cagliari against Italy.

French Preliminary Squad: Alexis Ajinca, Nicolas Batum, Rodrigue Beaubois, Yannick Bokolo, Nando De Colo, Aldo Curti, Mamoutou Diarra, Yakhouba Diawara, Boris Diaw, Antoine Diot, Laurent Foirest, Mickaël Gelabale, Joseph Gomis, Dounia Issa, Alain Koffi, Thomas Larrouquis, Abdoulaye M’Baye, Ian Mahinmi, Claude Marquis, Adrien Moerman, Joakim Noah, Tony Parker, Marc-Antoine Pellin, Johan Petro, Florent Pietrus, Mickaël Pietrus, Ali Traore, Ronny Turiaf, Ludovic Vaty.